cellar

1 of 2

noun

cel·​lar ˈse-lər 

1

a

: a room or set of rooms below the ground floor of a building : basement

There's storage space in the cellar.

b(1)

: a room for storing wines : wine cellar

(2)

: a stock of wines

a restaurant with an impressive cellar

2

: the lowest grade or rank

especially : the lowest place in the standings (as of an athletic league)

The team spent most of last year in the cellar.

cellar

2 of 2

verb

cellared; cellaring

1

transitive : to put or keep (something, such as wine or cheese) in a cellar for storage or aging

Each batch is handmade to achieve a delicate soft texture, then cellared for a month to complete the aging …

—Juliet Harbutt

2

intransitive : to be stored in a cellar : to undergo aging while being stored in a cellar

Perfectly drinkable now, but will cellar nicely for another 3–5 years.

—Wine Enthusiast Magazine

Synonyms

Noun

• basement

Examples of cellar in a Sentence

Noun

The cellar has a dirt floor.

a restaurant with an impressive cellar

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Prices are retail at the cellar door, converted to U.S. dollars. —Tom Mullen, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025

The organization continues to set high standards of quality that involve evaluation of the vineyard, harvest practices, vinification, cellar management, bottling, labeling, and storage procedures. —Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 8 May 2025

Verb

To complement, Genesis House cellars a world-class wine lists and the most expansive list of Korean spirits in New York, 28 in all. —Scotty Reiss, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025

Cain always holds back a quarter of its vintage each year to cellar and release later as a library wine, allowing consumers to taste the evolution of Cain’s bottlings. —Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 18 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English celer "storeroom, underground chamber," borrowed from Anglo-French, "storeroom," going back to Latin cellārium, from cella "store, larder, small room" + -ārium -ary entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

circa 1551, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cellar

• cellar dweller
• cellar master
• cyclone cellar
• root cellar
• storm cellar
• sub-cellar
• wine cellar

Rhymes for cellar

• beller
• dweller
• eller
• feller
• meller
• sellar
• seller
• sheller
• speller
• stellar
• bestseller
• bookseller

Kids Definition

cellar

noun

cel·​lar

ˈsel-ər

: a room or set of rooms below the surface of the ground : basement