Storefront Definition & Meaning

Definition

Etymology

Examples

storefront American [stawr-fruhnt, stohr-] / ˈstɔrˌfrʌnt, ˈstoʊr- /

noun

1. the side of a store facing a street, usually containing display windows.

2. a store or other establishment that has frontage on a street or thoroughfare.

   After the fire the family took shelter temporarily in an abandoned storefront.

adjective

1. of or relating to the frontage of a store, especially the display windows.

   a storefront sign.

2. located or operating in a storelike area, room, or set of rooms fronting on a street.

   a storefront community center.

Etymology

Origin of storefront

First recorded in 1935–40; store + front

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In Westwood — the epicenter of the community, where the eponymous boulevard is lined by storefronts covered in Persian script — the widespread opposition to Iran’s hard-line theocracy is hard to miss.

From Los Angeles Times

When I rounded another corner, I took a moment to lean against a white storefront until I could catch my breath and calm my jittery nerves.

From Literature

Nelson and her husband — whom she met at the Bay Area firm where she had worked — then pooled their savings, moved to Southern California and together opened Sprinkles Cupcakes from a 600-square-foot Beverly Hills storefront.

From Los Angeles Times

Before they moved in 2021, the place was a shoe store called Latino Fashion — the storefront sign remains.

From Los Angeles Times

They were just around the corner from his grandfather’s original storefront, and a short walk from Armandino’s first career.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.