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
Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2026
Erling has lots and lots of archive of other Indigenous groups as well.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 13 June 2026
Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 11 June 2026
There is no better mode to express your sentimentality than archiving their memories for future generations (including yourself) to savor.
—Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for archive
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on June 13, according to the Tribune’s archives.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2026
Erling has lots and lots of archive of other Indigenous groups as well.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 13 June 2026
Verb
But, as archived by CalMatters’ Digital Democracy project, Ward described his intentions in a committee meeting in 2023.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 11 June 2026
There is no better mode to express your sentimentality than archiving their memories for future generations (including yourself) to savor.
—Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 10 June 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 17 Jun. 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: a place in which public records or historical documents are preserved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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
