Sundries are various small items that don't fit into a specific category. When a store has a sundries section, you'll find random useful things like batteries, Band-Aids, safety pins, notebooks, and travel-size toiletries all mixed together.

You might see sundries listed on a receipt when a business groups together all the little purchases that aren't worth itemizing separately. A camping checklist might end with “and sundries” to cover all those extras you'll need but haven't specifically listed, like matches, rope, or duct tape.

The word suggests things that are individually minor but collectively important. When your family takes a road trip and stops for sundries at a gas station, you're picking up the small stuff that makes the journey more comfortable: snacks, wet wipes, and a phone charger. None of these items seem crucial on their own, but together they solve all sorts of little problems that come up. Think of sundries as the odds and ends that help life run smoothly, even though they're too varied and minor to deserve their own special name.