cache

noun \ ˈkash \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of cache

1 a : 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

See cache defined for English-language learners

See cache defined for kids

Examples of cache in a Sentence

a weapons cache used by terrorists
Police found a cache of stolen cars in the woods.
Her new laptop has one megabyte of cache.

Recent Examples of cache from the Web

DNSCrypt's performance was a little slower than conventional DNS on first-time requests, but DNSCrypt Proxy caches results after that.

— sean gallagher, Ars Technica, "How to keep your ISP’s nose out of your browser history with encrypted DNS," 8 Apr. 2018
The cache includes scores of emails to or from members of the NCAA's Committee on Infractions that sanctioned USC and McNair in the aftermath of the Reggie Bush extra benefits scandal.

— nathan fenno, latimes.com, "As Todd McNair's lawsuit against NCAA nears trial, both sides are sparring over another set of emails and documents," 5 Apr. 2018
In an era when streaming companies and cable networks have stolen much of broadcast TV’s cultural cache, a network sitcom attracting a big, live, engaged viewing audience would seem to be an event to celebrate for Emmy voters.

— rebecca keegan, HWD, "Emmy Voters Sound Off on Roseanne: From ‘Hateful’ to ‘Like Going Home Again’," 5 Apr. 2018
The optional Core i7+ model also includes Intel’s Optane cache memory, which works as a bridge between RAM and storage to speed up things like game load times.

— tom warren, The Verge, "These are all the new gaming laptops using Intel’s latest 6-core processors," 3 Apr. 2018
On Long Island, the Sailors were led by a pair of teenage brothers who lived with their mom and kept the gang’s cache of machetes, swords, and hatchets buried in their backyard.

— hannah dreier, Daily Intelligencer, "The Betrayal of Triste," 2 Apr. 2018
All those hidden food caches in carry-on bags can lead to false alerts.

— fredrick kunkle, chicagotribune.com, "TSA scanners can confuse food, explosives; Some travelers forced to remove munchies from carry-ons," 29 Mar. 2018
Francho Bradley had an unusual explanation for the cache of weapons in his hotel room, police say.

— josh magness, miamiherald, "Man said he had AK-47, grenade launcher for ‘classified’ mission, Massachusetts police say | Miami Herald," 27 Mar. 2018
Rappaport: Because of the cache of him having spent time there?

— the crossover staff, SI.com, "HOLDAT Podcast: Carlos Boozer Spills Details on Prince Painting His L.A. Home Purple," 7 Mar. 2018

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.

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.

Origin and Etymology of cache

French, from cacher to press, hide, from Vulgar Latin *coacticare to press together, from Latin coactare to compel, frequentative of cogere to compel — more at cogent

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1797

See Words from the same year

cache Synonyms

Synonyms

hoard, stash, stockpile, store;

inventory, pool, reserve, reservoir, stock;

provisions, resources;

accumulation, assemblage, collection, gathering, harvest;

repertory;

cache

verb

Definition of cache

cached; caching

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

Examples of cache in a Sentence

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 of cache from the Web

The snafu rendered the files, which were cached by Google, to be publicly exposed and viewed by anyone without a password.

— sam wood, Philly.com, "After mom's gyno records found online, South Jersey docs to pay $418 million for data breach," 4 Apr. 2018
Responding officers found a small container with a pink eraser and geo-caching sign-in sheet inside the base.

— andy attina / cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "Woman takes back her vehicle from repo driver: Highland Heights Police Blotter," 4 Apr. 2018
None of the new Coffee Lake cheap chips support Intel's nifty Optane Memory technology, which caches a hard drive with a much faster Optane Memory module.

— gordon mah ung, PCWorld, "Budget gamers: You can get some Intel Coffee Lake chips for as little as $42," 4 Apr. 2018
Your California Privacy Rights The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with prior written permission of Condé Nast.

— Condé Nast Traveler, "How to Cruise Now," 1 Apr. 2018
But over that time, how many developers abided by Facebook’s rules? How many followed Kogan’s route, caching the data and making their own private databases?

— robinson meyer, The Atlantic, "The Cambridge Analytica Scandal, in 3 Paragraphs," 20 Mar. 2018
The data cannot be easily removed, because they are cached on the Internet.

— trisha thadani, San Francisco Chronicle, "Strava’s map revealing intelligence data causes stir," 5 Feb. 2018
Each individual bird will transport up to 7,000 acorns a year and cache them.

— debbie arrington, sacbee, "Picky songbirds demand native oaks," 19 Jan. 2018
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast Digital.

— teen vogue staff, Teen Vogue, "Watch LIVE from the first-ever Teen Vogue Summit.," 6 Jan. 2018

Origin and Etymology of cache

see ¹cache

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1805

See Words from the same year

cache Synonyms

CACHE Defined for English Language Learners

cache

noun

Definition of cache for English Language Learners

: a group of things that have been hidden in a secret place because they are illegal or have been stolen
: a part of a computer's memory where information is kept so that the computer can find it very quickly