silo

1 of 2

noun

si·​lo ˈsī-(ˌ)lō 

plural silos

1

: a trench, pit, or especially a tall cylinder (as of wood or concrete) usually sealed to exclude air and used for making and storing silage

2

a

: a deep bin for storing material (such as coal)

b

: an underground structure for housing a guided missile

These are weapons that can hit military targets, such as missile silos and headquarters, swiftly and accurately …

—Leslie H. Gelb

3

: an isolated grouping, department, etc., that functions apart from others especially in a way seen as hindering communication and cooperation

Big, complex companies are typically structured so that decision making is separated according to function, geography and product. That naturally creates silos.

—Rana Foroohar

To break down silos individual officials need a stronger sense of belonging to a bigger whole, with norms and expectations spanning all departments and agencies.

—David Walker

Moorhouse came to the paper determined to break down its "silos"—MBA-speak for self-contained departments that don't have anything to do with other departments in a business.

—Mark Fitzgerald

Illustration of silo

• silo 1

silo

2 of 2

verb

siloed; siloing; siloes

transitive verb

1

: to place or store (material, such as grain) in a silo

2

: to isolate (someone or something, such as a grouping or department) in a way that hinders communication and cooperation with others : to place (someone or something) in an isolated silo (see silo entry 1 sense 3)

One step banks can take to balance efforts, [Emmett] Higdon suggested, is to stop siloing mobile and online banking development efforts and channels.

—Nathan DiCamillo

Examples of silo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Grain bins and silos can be extremely deadly if people get trapped inside. —Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 3 Oct. 2025

And unnecessary silos have led to bad execution. —Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025

Verb

Having fought for much of their career to be seen as artists, not women artists, many were reluctant to silo themselves intentionally. —Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2025

Migrating From Fragmented Legacy Systems Migrating from fragmented legacy systems that silo data and slow teams down is a challenge. —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Spanish

First Known Use

Noun

1856, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1981, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for silo

• milo

Kids Definition

silo

noun

si·​lo ˈsī-lō 

plural silos

1

: a trench, pit, or especially a tall cylinder (as of wood or concrete) used for making and storing silage

2

: an underground structure for housing a missile