cache

noun

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\ ˈkash

Definition of cache

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a hiding place especially for concealing and preserving provisions or implements

b : a secure place of storage discovered a cache of weapons

2 : something hidden or stored in a cache The cache consisted of documents and private letters.

3 : a computer memory with very short access time used for storage of frequently or recently used instructions or data

— called also cache memory

cache

verb

cached; caching

Definition of cache (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to place (something) in a cache: such as

a : to place or store (something) in a hidden or secure place for safety or concealment cache camp supplies by a lake coins cached in a teapot

b computers : to place (instructions or data) in cache memory for temporary storage caching websites to speed up future retrieval

Synonyms Cash and Cache More Example Sentences Learn More about cache

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Cash and Cache

Cache and cash are homophones (words that are pronounced alike but have different meanings, origins, or spelling) whose likeness in sound may lead to perplexity.

Cache primarily refers to a thing that is hidden or stored somewhere, or to the place where it is hidden. It has recently taken on another common meaning, “short-term computer memory where information is stored for easy retrieval.” Cash, on the other hand, is most often used in the sense “ready money.”

If you find yourself confused by these words, remember that you can store cash in a cache, but you can't do the reverse. Be mindful, too, that if you run out of cash you won't be able to buy something, but if you're short on cache, your computer won’t work.

Examples of cache in a Sentence

Noun a weapons cache used by terrorists Police found a cache of stolen cars in the woods. Her new laptop has one megabyte of cache. Verb an eccentric who cached money in odd places, such as under the boards of the floor cached the fugitive slaves in their cellar until they could make their way to Canada

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The cache of 121 papers, credited to researchers from hospitals and medical universities across roughly 50 cities in China, all shared at least one image with another—a sign that many were likely produced by the same... — Eva Xiao, WSJ, "Chinese Research Papers Raise Doubts, Fueling Global Questions About Scientific Integrity," 5 July 2020 One sergeant major suspected of far-right ties had a cache of weapons in a bunker at his home. — Loveday Morris, Washington Post, "Germany disbands elite military unit after reports of right-wing extremism," 2 July 2020 In a 16-state survey in 2014, not a single hospital reported having a stockpile or emergency cache. — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, "Despite warnings, the US wasn’t prepared with masks for coronavirus. Now it’s too late.," 1 July 2020 For pipelines which involve rapid, heavy writes, an Optane cache layer can also significantly increase the life expectancy of the NAND primary storage beneath it, by reducing the total number of writes which must actually be committed to it. — Jim Salter, Ars Technica, "Intel’s 3rd-generation Xeon Scalable CPUs offer 16-bit FPU processing," 18 June 2020 Each uses different techniques to trick a processor into temporarily accessing secret information and then encoding it in a processor's cache, a portion of memory designed to keep certain data close at hand for better efficiency. — Andy Greenberg, Wired, "Hacker Lexicon: What Is a Side Channel Attack?," 21 June 2020 Also in their sights is the pile of gold bricks interred with him—a CIA cache intended for bribing Vietnamese rebels that Norman’s unit found in the ’70s. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "Da 5 Bloods Is the Most Ambitious Film Spike Lee Has Ever Made," 12 June 2020 Joe Biden won the Democratic presidential primaries in Maryland, New Mexico and South Dakota, adding to a cache of delegates as seven states and the District of Columbia held primaries on Tuesday. — Ryan Teague Beckwith, Bloomberg.com, "Joe Biden Wins Maryland, New Mexico: Campaign Update," 8 June 2020 Why, from Tyler Down’s (Devin Druid) cache of weapons in season 1 to his attempt to commit a shooting during a school dance. — Ashley Chervinski, refinery29.com, "We Have To Talk About 13 Reasons Why Season 4’s Jarring Episode “Thursday”," 8 June 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. — Nathan Baird, cleveland, "Ohio State football coach Ryan Day’s contract extension puts him among highest-paid coaches in the country," 25 Feb. 2020 The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. — Mike Cason, al, "Fake urine for drug tests would be a crime under this Alabama bill," 12 Feb. 2020 The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. — oregonlive, "Kaye Turner killer makes fourth plea for eventual parole," 23 Jan. 2020 The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. — Mike Cason, al, "Fake urine for drug tests would be a crime under this Alabama bill," 12 Feb. 2020 The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. — Tim Bielik, cleveland, "Ohio State vs. Wisconsin LIVE STREAM (2/9/20) | How to watch Kaleb Wesson, Big Ten, college basketball online | Time, TV, channel," 9 Feb. 2020 The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. — oregonlive, "Kaye Turner killer makes fourth plea for eventual parole," 23 Jan. 2020 The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. — Chris Fedor, cleveland, "Cleveland Cavaliers to sign G League shooting guard Matt Mooney to two-way contract, sources say," 15 Jan. 2020 The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. — al, "Woman found shot, dead in house fire in Arab," 4 Jan. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cache.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.