department store

American  

noun

• department stores
  plural

1. a large retail store carrying a wide variety of merchandise and organized into various departments for sales and administrative purposes.

---

department store British  

noun

1. a large shop divided into departments selling a great many kinds of goods

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• department stores
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of department store

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

department store

Paris department store BHV Marais, which courted controversy last year with a partnership with Asian fast-fashion giant Shein, said Tuesday it had sought bankruptcy protection to protect its operations and jobs.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

Some of the outfits on display seem more suited for the parade held by a certain downtown department store, though that holiday march wouldn’t begin until 1924.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

Born in Minnesota, he was entranced as a child by the Midwestern, midcentury power of Dayton’s department store.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

We saw crowds of shop workers from Kyiv's biggest department store hanging around the streets during an alert, forced to leave their work place but not fearful enough to seek shelter.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

He insisted she shop at an expensive department store in Chicago, where everything cost more than she wanted to spend, but when she complained, she got nowhere.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• chain store
• discount store
• shop
• store

---