repository

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noun re·pos·i·to·ry \ ri-ˈpä-zə-ˌtȯr-ē \

Definition of repository

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

See repository defined for English-language learners

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Examples of repository in a Sentence

a repository for nuclear waste
He is the repository of many secrets.
She is the repository of her family's history.

Recent Examples of repository from the Web

In this 2015 video created by his office, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar discusses the bullion repository.

— tom uhler, star-telegram, "Fort Knox opened to civilians for first time in 40 years," 22 Aug. 2017
The shipment marked the first from Oak Ridge to the federal government’s only underground nuclear waste repository in southern New Mexico in five years.

— Washington Post, "Tennessee site marks milestone with shipment to US nuke dump," 18 Aug. 2017
The photographer Tristan Spinski recently visited the repository, producing images that testify to the human appetite for other species.

— photographs by tristan spinski, New York Times, "A Mausoleum for Endangered Species," 10 July 2017
Although a national repository of voter data would be useful in helping fight the widespread voter fraud Kobach and the Trump administration cite, most serious analyses have found scant evidence for such claims.

— vann r. newkirk ii, The Atlantic, "Trump's Voter-Fraud Commission Makes Its First Move," 30 June 2017
On Wednesday, a congressional committee passed a bill aimed at resurrecting the Yucca Mountain repository in Nevada.

— rob nikolewski, sandiegouniontribune.com, "House panel passes bill that resurrects sending nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain," 28 June 2017
This welcome central repository organizes the files on your iPad, or those that reside in Apple’s iCloud service.

— edward c. baig, USA TODAY, "iOS 11: top features and hazards in the beta release," 27 June 2017
That caused a radiation leak at the government’s only underground nuclear waste repository that led to costly recovery work and a backlog in the nation’s multibillion-dollar program for cleaning up waste from decades of research and bomb-making.

— susan montoya bryan, The Seattle Times, "Multibillion-dollar contract for Los Alamos lab up for bid," 27 June 2017
On Twitter, Escobar’s feed has become a repository for news and articles on the growing political and economic chaos.

— rustin dodd, kansascity.com, "His country in turmoil, Royals’ Escobar balances baseball with thoughts of Venezuela," 26 June 2017

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

First Known Use of repository

15th century

repository Synonyms

Synonyms

depository, depot, magazine, storehouse, storage, warehouse

Related Words

cache, stockroom, storeroom; bank, bin, container, locker, safe-deposit box, strongbox; arsenal, dump; stowage

repository

adjective

Definition of repository

of a drug

:designed to act over a prolonged period

repository penicillin

First Known Use of repository

1950

Other Pharmacology Terms

anodyne, cathartic, emetic, emollient, liniment, paregoric, poultice, purgative, soporific, spectrum

REPOSITORY Defined for English Language Learners

repository

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noun

Definition of repository for English Language Learners

: a place where a large amount of something is stored
: a person who possesses a lot of information, wisdom, etc.

Medical Dictionary

repository

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adjective re·pos·i·to·ry \ ri-ˈpäz-ə-ˌtōr-ē \

medical Definition of repository

of a drug

:designed to act over a prolonged period

repository penicillin

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See words that rhyme with repository Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for repository Spanish Central: Translation of repository Nglish: Translation of repository for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of repository for Arabic speakers

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Examples of repository in a Sentence

Recent Examples of repository from the Web

First Known Use of repository

repository Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

repository

Definition of repository

First Known Use of repository

Other Pharmacology Terms

REPOSITORY Defined for English Language Learners

repository

Definition of repository for English Language Learners

Medical Dictionary

repository

medical Definition of repository

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