drugstore
- Noun:
- A retail establishment, typically found in North America, that primarily sells prescription and over-the-counter medications, health and beauty products, and often a variety of other convenience goods such as snacks, beverages, and basic household items. It is a type of pharmacy that also functions as a general store.
- Noun:
- I need to stop by the drugstore to pick up my prescription.
- She bought shampoo, toothpaste, and a magazine at the local drugstore.
- Many modern drugstores also have a small food section.
"Drugstore cowboy": A person, typically a man, who spends a lot of time loitering in or around a drugstore, often to impress others or to seek romantic encounters. This term can have a slightly derogatory connotation.
- In old movies, you often see a drugstore cowboy trying to flirt with the soda jerk.
"Drugstore" as an adjective: Used to describe something that is inexpensive, mass-produced, or of a quality typical of products sold in such stores.
- She preferred high-end perfume over drugstore brands.
Pharmacy: A place where medicinal drugs are prepared, dispensed, or sold. While often used interchangeably with "drugstore," "pharmacy" can refer specifically to the department within a store that dispenses prescription medications.
- The pharmacy is at the back of the drugstore.
Chemist (UK): The British English term for a shop that sells medicinal drugs and other related items; similar to a drugstore.
- In London, you would ask for a chemist, not a drugstore.
Apothecary: An archaic or historical term for a person who prepared and sold medicines and drugs; sometimes used poetically or in historical contexts for a pharmacy.
- The old apothecary shop had jars of herbs lining the walls.
- Pharmacy: A store where medicinal drugs are dispensed and sold.
- Chemist's (UK): A shop selling medicinal drugs and toiletries.
- Apothecary (archaic/historical): A person who prepared and sold medicines.
- Corner drugstore: Refers to a traditional, often independently owned drugstore located on a street corner, evoking a sense of community and nostalgia.
- He remembered buying comic books at the corner drugstore as a kid.
- (Just) what the doctor ordered: Something that is exactly what is needed or beneficial in a situation. This idiom plays on the medical association of a drugstore.
- A week off work was just what the doctor ordered. (Note: This idiom uses the concept of a doctor's prescription, indirectly relating to a drugstore's function.)
- a retail shop where medicine and other articles are sold