How to Use store-bought in a Sentence

store-bought

adjective
  • Mac and cheese doesn't have to be store-bought to be frozen.
    — Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Skip making the lemon curd and use store-bought.
    — Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2026
  • But in this case, store-bought is also fine—often even great.
    — Nina Moskowitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 7 June 2026
  • All three work just fine, though homemade or store-bought will give you the best texture and flavor.
    — J. Kenji López-Alt, New York Times, 20 Nov. 2023
  • Pumpkin seeds, from fresh pumpkin or store-bought, can be used to top salads or as a tasty snack.
    — Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 23 Sep. 2025
  • The ice cream is store-bought, but the tasty lime curd is from-scratch and only takes a few minutes to whip up.
    — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 1 July 2026
  • The ice cream is store-bought, but the tasty lime curd is from-scratch and only takes a few minutes to whip up.
    — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 2 July 2026
  • Think black vinegar, chili crisp, sesame sauce, and plenty more store-bought or homemade sauces.
    — Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Martha Stewart, 20 Feb. 2026
  • There are plenty of reasons why homemade stock is better than store-bought.
    — Josh Miller, Southern Living, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Homemade paneer is much softer than store-bought, and is thus more prone to falling apart.
    — Kari Sonde, Washington Post, 9 Aug. 2023
  • Plus, the taste and quality is always better than store-bought.
    — Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 14 Aug. 2024
  • But don't go store-bought without trying our homemade version first.
    — Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 14 June 2024
  • This salty-savory-sweet combo proves that homemade candy can be just as tasty as store-bought.
    — Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Aug. 2022
  • Sweet potatoes or mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie or apple, and homemade or store-bought?
    — Food Drink Life, New York Daily News, 18 Nov. 2024
  • Often my fridge is home to roast chicken, sometimes roasted in house, sometimes store-bought.
    — Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 28 Oct. 2025
  • For extra credit, use our homemade chocolate wafer recipe instead of store-bought.
    — Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 16 May 2026
  • Growing carrots from seed can give you a harvest of sweet roots way better than store-bought with these growing tips.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Feb. 2025
  • Whether store-bought or homemade, a sweet bite will top off an evening full of ballpark bites and endless martinis.
    — Isabella Milano, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Dec. 2024
  • Growing carrots from seed can give you a harvest of sweet roots way better than store-bought with these growing tips.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Mar. 2026
  • When using store-bought, choose a good-quality, robust product.
    — Robin Miller, AZCentral.com, 22 Jan. 2026
  • Does refrigerating help or hurt the freshness of your homemade or store-bought loaf?
    — Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 24 May 2026
  • Does refrigerating help or hurt the freshness of your homemade or store-bought loaf?
    — Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 3 Jan. 2026
  • Pumpkin seeds last different amounts of time depending on whether they’re store-bought or fresh from a pumpkin.
    — Johna Burdeos, Health, 1 Oct. 2024
  • The crust is made with lard — that’s just one small part of the controversy — but the royal chefs advise that store-bought is fine.
    — Kim Severson, New York Times, 2 May 2023
  • Pumpkin seeds last different amounts of time depending on whether they’re store-bought or fresh from a pumpkin.
    — Johna Burdeos, Health, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Or go store-bought with costumes that include inflatable shoulder pads and a shrunken head prop that straps on top of your head.
    — Isabella Milano, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Oct. 2024
  • Their bucket hats were unusually colorful… not store-bought, much less merch-stand-bought, but made of yarn.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Whether store-bought or homemade, eggnog remains synonymous with holiday cheer.
    — Dan Perry, Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2024
  • With the turnable removed, start at the ceiling of your microwave on the inside and wipe down all walls with your store-bought or homemade cleaner.
    — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 25 Apr. 2026
  • With the turnable removed, start at the ceiling of your microwave on the inside and wipe down all walls with your store-bought or homemade cleaner.
    — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 16 Aug. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'store-bought.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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