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
Giri Nathan, The New York Review of Books, 21 Mar. 2026
Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on March 21, according to the Tribune’s archives.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
The imagery is consistent with photos of Tomahawk missile parts recovered from past conflicts which were archived on weapon fragment database the Open Source Munitions Portal.
—Gianluca Mezzofiore, CNN Money, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for archive
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Noun
Issue Details Subscribe now for immediate access to the latest issue and to browse the rich archive.
—Giri Nathan, The New York Review of Books, 21 Mar. 2026
Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on March 21, according to the Tribune’s archives.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2026
Verb
With a $67-million budget, the museum will include permanent and temporary exhibitions, as well as an auditorium, learning center, archives collection and a demonstration kitchen.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
The imagery is consistent with photos of Tomahawk missile parts recovered from past conflicts which were archived on weapon fragment database the Open Source Munitions Portal.
—Gianluca Mezzofiore, CNN Money, 10 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 26 Mar. 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: a place in which public records or historical documents are preserved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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