repository

1 of 2

noun

re·​pos·​i·​to·​ry ri-ˈpä-zə-ˌtȯr-ē 

plural repositories

1

: a place, room, or container where something is deposited or stored : depository

2

: a side altar in a Roman Catholic church where the consecrated Host is reserved from Maundy Thursday until Good Friday

3

: one that contains or stores something nonmaterial

considered the book a repository of knowledge

4

: a place or region richly supplied with a natural resource

5

: a person to whom something is confided or entrusted

repository

2 of 2

adjective

of a drug

: designed to act over a prolonged period

repository penicillin

Synonyms of repository

Noun

• warehouse
• depository
• storage

Examples of repository in a Sentence

Noun

a repository for nuclear waste

He is the repository of many secrets.

She is the repository of her family's history.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The radioactive waste at San Onofre is stored in more than 120 stainless steel canisters at the now-shuttered generation station, known as SONGS, because the federal government has yet to find a permanent repository to send it. — Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026

Finland’s nuclear safety regulator, STUK, issued a favorable safety review on August 4 for a deep geological repository located in Olkiluoto. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 5 Aug. 2026

Adjective

Hallucination rates reached as high as 85% during repository-cloning scenarios. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1948, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for repository

• accusatory
• admonitory
• ambulatory
• amendatory
• celebratory
• circulatory
• combinatory
• commendatory
• compensatory
• condemnatory
• confirmatory
• confiscatory

Kids Definition

repository

noun

re·​pos·​i·​to·​ry

ri-ˈpäz-ə-ˌtōr-ē, 

-ˌtȯr-

plural repositories

1

: a place or container where something is deposited or stored

2

: one that contains or stores something immaterial

a repository of knowledge

Medical Definition

repository

adjective

re·​pos·​i·​to·​ry ri-ˈpäz-ə-ˌtōr-ē 

of a drug

: designed to act over a prolonged period

repository penicillin