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Showing results for general store. Search instead for in-retail store.
Synonyms

general store

American  

noun

  1. a store, usually in a rural area, that sells a wide variety of merchandise, as clothing, food, or hardware, but is not divided into departments.

Etymology

Origin of general store

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

At the time, Lincoln had been a licensed attorney for 1½ years; he still shared cramped bachelor lodgings above a general store.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 7, 2025

She considered jobs in a factory making shoes or working in a general store, but the pay was too low to make it worth her while.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 11, 2024

“I am not feeling well because of the stifling heat, but I have to work,” said Ghulam Farid, who owns a small general store in Sheikhupra, a city in Punjab province.

From Seattle Times • May 21, 2024

Last year saw large scale restructuring and widespread closures at LLoyds pharmacy chain, the Slug and Lettuce pub chain, Paperchase and Clintons stationery chains, fashion store M&Co, as well as general store Wilkos.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2024

“Mrs. Murphy has brought to my attention that a couple named the Nielsens, friends of hers, own the general store on Center Street. Five years ago they lost their only child.”

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.