Shop vs. Store: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 25, 2023
Shop refers to a small retail establishment; Store is a larger place of business for selling goods.
Key Differences
A shop is typically a small, specialized place selling specific types of goods. A store is generally larger, offering a broader range of products, often including both specialized and general items.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 01, 2023
In usage, shop often implies a more personal, intimate buying experience. In contrast, a store suggests a more extensive, possibly impersonal shopping environment with a wider selection.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 01, 2023
The term shop is used more commonly in British English, while store is more prevalent in American English. However, both terms are understood globally and often used interchangeably.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 01, 2023
In digital contexts, shop can refer to a small online retail outlet, whereas store may denote a larger, more comprehensive online marketplace.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 01, 2023
Shop can also be a verb meaning to visit places where goods are sold, while store as a verb means to put away or stock items for future use.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 01, 2023
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Comparison Chart
Verb Form
Means visiting places to buy goods
Means to put away or stock items
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Dec 01, 2023
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Shop and Store Definitions
Shop
A small retail establishment.
She visited a local flower shop for a bouquet.
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Dec 01, 2023
Store
A large retail establishment selling a variety of goods.
She shopped for groceries at the new superstore.
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Dec 01, 2023
Shop
A place for manufacturing or repairing goods.
He works in an auto repair shop.
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Dec 01, 2023
Store
A stock or supply of something.
They had a store of canned food for emergencies.
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Dec 01, 2023
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Store
A place for selling specific types of products.
She went to the furniture store for a new couch.
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Dec 01, 2023
Shop
Also shoppe A small retail store or a specialty department in a large store.
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Oct 19, 2023
Store
A stock or supply reserved for future use
A squirrel's store of acorns.
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Oct 19, 2023
Shop
A schoolroom fitted with machinery and tools for instruction in industrial arts.
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Oct 19, 2023
Store
(Computers) To copy (data) into memory or onto a storage device, such as a hard disk.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Store
A place where items may be accumulated or routinely kept.
This building used to be a store for old tires.
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Oct 19, 2023
Shop
An establishment that sells goods or services to the public; originally only a physical location, but now a virtual establishment as well.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Store
(mainly North American) A place where items may be purchased; a shop.
I need to get some milk from the grocery store.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Shop
Workplace; office. Used mainly in expressions such as shop talk, closed shop and shop floor.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Store
A head of store cattle (feeder cattle to be sold to others for finishing); a store cattle beast.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Store
(transitive) To keep (something) while not in use, generally in a place meant for that purpose.
I'll store these books in the attic.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Shop
A variety of classes taught in junior or senior high school that teach vocational skill.
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Oct 19, 2023
Store
Have the capacity and capability to contain.
They sell boxes that store 24 mason jars.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Shop
An act of shopping, especially routine shopping for food and other domestic supplies.
This is where I do my weekly shop.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Store
To write (something) into memory or registers.
This operation stores the result on the stack.
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Oct 19, 2023
Shop
(intransitive) To visit stores or shops to browse or explore merchandise, especially with the intention of buying such merchandise.
I went shopping early before the Christmas rush.
He’s shopping for clothes.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Store
That which is accumulated, or massed together; a source from which supplies may be drawn; hence, an abundance; a great quantity, or a great number.
The ships are fraught with store of victuals.
With store of ladies, whose bright eyesRain influence, and give the prize.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Shop
(transitive) To purchase products from (a range or catalogue, etc.).
Shop our new arrivals.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Store
A place of deposit for goods, esp. for large quantities; a storehouse; a warehouse; a magazine.
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Oct 19, 2023
Shop
To report the criminal activities or whereabouts of someone to an authority.
He shopped his mates in to the police.
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Oct 19, 2023
Store
Any place where goods are sold, whether by wholesale or retail; a shop.
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Oct 19, 2023
Store
Articles, especially of food, accumulated for some specific object; supplies, as of provisions, arms, ammunition, and the like; as, the stores of an army, of a ship, of a family.
His swine, his horse, his stoor, and his poultry.
In his needy shop a tortoise hung,An alligator stuffed, and other skinsOf ill-shaped fishes; and about his shelvesA beggarly account of empty boxes.
Sulphurous and nitrous foam, . . . Concocted and adjusted, they reducedTo blackest grain, and into store conveyed.
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Oct 19, 2023
Store
To collect as a reserved supply; to accumulate; to lay away.
Dora stored what little she could save.
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Oct 19, 2023
Shop
A building or an apartment in which goods, wares, drugs, etc., are sold by retail.
From shop to shopWandering, and littering with unfolded silksThe polished counter.
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Oct 19, 2023
Store
To furnish; to supply; to replenish; esp., to stock or furnish against a future time.
Her mind with thousand virtues stored.
Wise Plato said the world with men was stored.
Having stored a pond of four acres with carps, tench, and other fish.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Shop
A building in which mechanics or artisans work; as, a shoe shop; a car shop.
A tailor called me in his shop.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Store
To deposit in a store, warehouse, or other building, for preservation; to warehouse; as, to store goods.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Shop
A person's occupation, business, profession, or the like, as a subject of attention, interest, conversation, etc.; - sometimes in deprecation or disapproval; as, to talk shop at a party. Also used attributively, as in shop talk.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Store
A mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services;
He bought it at a shop on Cape Cod
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Oct 19, 2023
Store
A supply of something available for future use;
He brought back a large store of Cuban cigars
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Oct 19, 2023
Store
An electronic memory device;
A memory and the CPU form the central part of a computer to which peripherals are attached
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Oct 19, 2023
Shop
The group of workers and the activities controlled by an administrator; as, to have five people in one's shop.
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Oct 19, 2023
Shop
To visit shops for the purpose of purchasing goods.
He was engaged with his mother and some ladies to go shopping.
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Store
Keep or lay aside for future use;
Store grain for the winter
The bear stores fat for the period of hibernation when he doesn't eat
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Oct 19, 2023
Shop
A mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services;
He bought it at a shop on Cape Cod
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Oct 19, 2023
Store
Find a place for and put away for storage;
Where should we stow the vegetables?
I couldn't store all the books in the attic so I sold some
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Oct 19, 2023
Store
A place for storing goods.
They kept their old furniture in a storage store.
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Dec 01, 2023
Shop
A course of instruction in a trade (as carpentry or electricity);
I built a birdhouse in shop
Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023
Shop
Shop around; not necessarily buying;
I don't need help, I'm just browsing
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Oct 19, 2023
Shop
Give away information about somebody;
He told on his classmate who had cheated on the exam
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Oct 19, 2023
Shop
A place offering a specific service.
They went to a coffee shop for a quick break.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 01, 2023
Repeatedly Asked Queries
Does the term store imply a larger space?
Yes, a store usually refers to a larger retail space.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 01, 2023
Can a shop offer specialized products?
Yes, shops often focus on specific types of goods.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 01, 2023
Do stores have to be physical spaces?
No, the term store can also refer to online marketplaces.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 01, 2023
Is the word shop more common in the UK?
Yes, shop is more commonly used in British English.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 01, 2023
Is a shop usually a part of a community?
Yes, shops are often seen as local community fixtures.
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Dec 01, 2023
Is a shop always smaller than a store?
Typically, yes; shops are generally smaller.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 01, 2023
Can a store sell a variety of goods?
Yes, stores often sell a wide range of products.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 01, 2023
What's the difference between a store and a boutique?
A boutique is a small store that often specializes in unique or high-end products, whereas a store can be larger and more diverse.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 01, 2023
Can "store" also mean to keep something for future use?
Yes, "store" can be a verb meaning to keep or save something for later use, such as storing food.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 01, 2023
Can "shop" also refer to an online store?
Yes, "online shop" or "e-shop" refers to buying goods or services over the internet.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 01, 2023
Is a store likely to offer more products than a shop?
Generally, yes; stores tend to have a broader selection.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 01, 2023
Can a store also be a place for storage?
Yes, store can also mean a place to stock or store goods.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 01, 2023
Do all stores have physical locations?
No, many stores operate exclusively online without physical storefronts.
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Dec 01, 2023
What is a flagship store?
A flagship store is a company's main or most important retail location, often located in a prominent area.
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Dec 01, 2023
Can "store" also refer to a place for storing goods, like a warehouse?
Yes, "store" can also describe a location for storing and managing inventory, such as a warehouse or storage facility.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 01, 2023
Are online shops smaller than online stores?
Typically, online shops are smaller and more specialized.
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Dec 01, 2023
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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