repository

1 of 2

noun

re·​pos·​i·​to·​ry ri-ˈpä-zə-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce repository (audio)
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

Example Sentences

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
Evidence space travel is real includes photos and videos captured by astronauts, hundreds of pounds of lunar rocks, core samples, pebbles, sand and dust from the moon at the Lunar Sample Laboratory, and a large repository of data from NASA planetary missions. Eleanor Mccrary, USA TODAY, 16 May 2023 Soon enough a hacker penetrated the security and grabbed the documents, copying them to his dark web repository. Neil J. Rubenking, PCMAG, 25 Apr. 2023 Within a museum context, her walk-in enclosure of panels carved with words and images harvested from daily life in the Crenshaw section of South Central made the piece a valuable repository of cultural history, but a frozen one. Holland Cotter, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2023 The institute’s Center for Plant Science & Sustainable Agriculture has partnerships with scientists, food processors, breeders, and seed repositories around the nation. Lee Roop | Lroop@al.com, al, 13 Apr. 2023 GitHub removed the code repository on Friday shortly after Twitter filed a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) takedown notice. Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 29 Mar. 2023 The repository has become a key source for SARS-CoV-2 data, helping scientists analyze the evolution of variants and other aspects of the pandemic. Byjon Cohen, science.org, 21 Mar. 2023 Even if the item in your mind’s eye is a lopsided cup made by your seven-year-old, that humble thing is a repository of tradition and skill passed from maker to maker over generations — ending up, eventually, in the hands of your child’s art teacher. Deborah Needleman, Travel + Leisure, 16 Mar. 2023 Both tools are based on large language models (LLMs) that have been trained on massive code repositories. IEEE Spectrum, 14 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'repository.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of repository was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near repository

Cite this Entry

“Repository.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repository. Accessed 2 Jun. 2023.

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 How to pronounce repository (audio)
of a drug
: designed to act over a prolonged period
repository penicillin

More from Merriam-Webster on repository

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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