chain store

noun

: one of numerous usually retail stores having the same ownership and selling the same lines of goods

Examples of chain 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.
Spot the landmark shops The crowds at the Meir, Antwerp’s central pedestrian mall, — surrounded by Rococo mansions and chain stores — can be a bit of a headache, but its architectural gems set it apart. Nina Siegal, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2025 There are a lot of places to buy running shoes nowadays—at a big sporting goods shop, at a mall chain store, at an online retailer, at a discount website or at a running specialty store. Brian Metzler, Outside Online, 22 Dec. 2024 The intrigue: San Francisco heavily restricts chain stores or big-box retailers with 11 or more locations throughout the U.S. from opening in certain neighborhoods due to Proposition G, a 2007 ballot measure aimed at protecting mom-and-pop shops. Nadia Lopez, Axios, 17 Dec. 2024 The complaint says that since at least 2018, Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits deprived smaller businesses of access to discounts and rebates, harming their ability to compete with large national and regional chain stores. Dan Mangan, CNBC, 12 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for chain store 

Word History

First Known Use

1901, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chain store was in 1901

Dictionary Entries Near chain store

Cite this Entry

“Chain store.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chain%20store. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

chain store

noun
: any of a number of stores under the same ownership selling the same lines of goods

More from Merriam-Webster on chain 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!