general store

noun

: a retail store located usually in a small or rural community that carries a wide variety of goods including groceries but is not divided into departments

Examples of general store in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Whitehead sat down on a bench in front of the Five and Dime, a general store with a red-and-yellow awning. — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 22 June 2026 The travel stop offers gas, showers, a general store, and a full-service restaurant. — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026 Eventually, hard candies were made from the plant and carried in many apothecaries and general stores. — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 23 June 2026 The general store — full of apparel, gifts, souvenirs and road-trip essentials — features a glittery chandelier made of guitars. — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for general store

Word History

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of general store was in 1827

Rhymes for general store

See All Rhymes for general store

Browse Nearby Words

general statement
general store
general synod
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“General store.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/general%20store. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

general store

noun
: a retail store located usually in a small or rural community that carries a wide variety of goods including groceries but is not divided into departments

More from Merriam-Webster on general store

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about general store

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All