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.

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department store British  

noun

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

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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

During that process, another call came in that the suspect had moved into the nearby Marshalls department store.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Edinburgh's Princes Street is to fully reopen on Saturday, seven weeks after a major fire at a former department store.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

But the department store is seeking to recoup costs from the estate, according to Harrods and lawyers involved in the negotiations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

At 90,000 square feet, the proposed complex would be larger than an average Kohl’s department store, which the company says occupies roughly 80,000 square feet.

From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026

But I was glad when the bus finally arrived at the department store and I could get off.

From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry

Related Words

• chain store
• discount store
• shop
• store