1
: a place in which public records or historical materials (such as documents) are preserved
an archive of historical manuscripts
a film archive
also
: the material preserved
—often used in plural
reading through the archives
2
: a repository or collection especially of information
archived; archiving
: to file or collect in or as if in an archive
archive documents
archived tissue samples
Examples of archive in a Sentence
Verb
The organization was devoted to cataloging and archiving printed materials on the labor movement.
She archived her e-mail messages in a folder on her hard drive.
a collection of archived articles
Recent Examples on the Web
Tim Parks, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
According to Post-Tribune archives, the lockout of USW 7-1 employees went into effect at midnight March 19.
—Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
Jc Reindl, Freep.com, 31 Mar. 2026
At least four similar apps were axed in the following days, including Eyes Up, a platform that archived videos of arrests, raids, and abuses by immigration agents.
—Oriana Van Praag, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for archive
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Noun
Choose a Digital subscription or our best deal – All Access – that includes print and digital issues, full archive access, and the NYR App!
—Tim Parks, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
According to Post-Tribune archives, the lockout of USW 7-1 employees went into effect at midnight March 19.
—Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
Verb
Randy Book said a lot of the historic memorabilia in the room had been saved and archived by his grandfather's secretary, and later found in a briefcase.
—Jc Reindl, Freep.com, 31 Mar. 2026
At least four similar apps were axed in the following days, including Eyes Up, a platform that archived videos of arrests, raids, and abuses by immigration agents.
—Oriana Van Praag, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for archive
Cite this Entry
“Archive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archive. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
archive
1 of 2 noun
ar·chive
ˈär-ˌkīv 
1
: a place in which public records or historical documents are preserved
also
: the material preserved
—usually used in plural
2
: a collection of information
archive
2 of 2 verb
archived; archiving
: to file or collect in or as if in an archive
was archiving documents
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