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

Dozens more who worked at his luxury department store have filed for compensation under a redress scheme set up after a 2024 BBC documentary revealed the scale of his alleged offences.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

One proposed explanation pointed to large industrial fans operating inside a department store warehouse.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

The building previously housed part of the Debenhams department store, which closed in May 2021 following another fire the previous month.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

In November, Shein sought to deepen its presence in France beyond online sales by opening its first permanent store inside the BHV Marais department store in the heart of Paris.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

There were so many items for sale in the department store that I just wanted to touch one of them.

From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals

Related Words

• chain store
• discount store
• shop
• store