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

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
With wildfires consuming trees at an alarming rate, the role of the sub-zero repository at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Reforestation Center is taking on new urgency. Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 9 Sep. 2024 Strollers have become a status identifier, a repository for parenting anxiety, and an emblem of consumerism run amok. Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 17 July 2024 For the little data that do exist, there is no central repository. Bysofia Quaglia, science.org, 1 July 2024 The agency is home to one of the most significant repositories of climate data on Earth, which includes information on shifting atmospheric conditions and the health of coastal fisheries, plus hundreds of thousands of years’ worth of ice-core and tree-ring data. Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 16 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for repository 

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 3 Oct. 2024.

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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