store

1 of 3

verb

ˈstȯr 

stored; storing

transitive verb

1

: lay away, accumulate

store vegetables for winter use

an organism that absorbs and stores DDT

2

: furnish, supply

especially : to stock against a future time

store a ship with provisions

3

: to place or leave in a location (such as a warehouse, library, or computer memory) for preservation or later use or disposal

4

: to provide storage room for : hold

elevators for storing surplus wheat

storable

ˈstȯr-ə-bəl 

adjective

store

2 of 3

noun

1

a

: something that is stored or kept for future use

b

stores plural : articles (as of food) accumulated for some specific object and drawn upon as needed : stock, supplies

c

: something that is accumulated

d

: a source from which things may be drawn as needed : a reserve fund

2

: storage

—usually used with in

when placing eggs in store

—Dublin Sunday Independent

3

: value, importance

set great store by a partner's opinion

4

: a large quantity, supply, or number : abundance

5

a

: storehouse, warehouse

b

chiefly British : memory sense 4

6

: a business establishment where usually diversified goods are kept for retail sale

a grocery store

compare shop

store

3 of 3

adjective

1

or stores : of, relating to, kept in, or used for a store

2

: purchased from a store as opposed to being natural or homemade : manufactured, ready-made

store clothes

store bread

Phrases

in store

: in readiness : in preparation

there's a surprise in store for you

Synonyms

Verb

• keep

Noun

• reserve
• supply
• hoard
• cache
• collection

Adjective

• bought

Examples of store in a Sentence

Verb

I stored my furniture until I found a new apartment.

She stores her jewels in a safe.

The wine should be stored at room temperature.

The solar panels store energy.

They're studying how our brains store memories.

Noun

I'm going to the store to buy groceries.

The stores are always crowded around the holiday season.

Adjective

preferred homemade bread to store brands

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

More than 3 million bottles are stored in the cave cellars, with another 20 million stored at the estate outside Épernay and 8 million at another satellite site. —Rachel King, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025

Best of all, these chairs are stackable, so they can easily be stored in a shed, garage, or basement once the party is over without taking up too much space. —Lauren Fischer, People.com, 28 June 2025

Noun

By the end of their trip, Cathy had a good sense of how Target stores looked, what was stocked, and who was shopping. —Dev Patnaik, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025

The deal will include in-store activations and retail exclusives including watch parties in Fleet Feet stores in select markets and live broadcasts by Olympian Matthew Centrowitz, who will host The Athlete’s Lounge in the company’s Chicago store on July 19 during the Diamond League’s London event. —Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 30 June 2025

Adjective

Closures come after two rounds of layoffs The store closures come months after Kroger announced two rounds of layoffs of an unspecified number of non-store workers this spring. —Jonathan Limehouse, USA Today, 29 Nov. 2022

The National Retail Federation expects U.S. online and non-store sales this year to grow as much as 23% from 2020, to roughly $1.13 trillion, the trade group said in June. —Angus Loten, WSJ, 27 Oct. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French estorer to establish, restore, supply, from Latin instaurare to resume, restore

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1574, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing store

• chain store
• cold store
• consignment store
• convenience store
• department store
• dime store
• dollar store
• general store
• grocery store
• in store
• mind the store
• multiple store
• package store
• pre-store
• put considerable store in/by
• set great store by/on
• set/lay great store by
• set store by
• set store on
• shop the store
• store-bought
• store brand
• store card
• store cheese
• variety store

Rhymes for store

• boar
• boer
• bore
• chore
• cor
• core
• corps
• crore
• door
• drawer
• floor
• flor

Kids Definition

store

1 of 3 verb

ˈstō(ə)r 

ˈstȯ(ə)r

stored; storing

1

: lay away, accumulate

store vegetables for winter use

2

: to provide with what is needed : furnish, supply

store a ship with provisions

3

a

: to deposit in a place (as a warehouse) for safekeeping or disposal

stored my furniture until I found a new apartment

b

: to record information in a device (as a computer)

4

: to provide storage room for : hold

racks for storing basketballs

store

2 of 3 noun

1

a

: something stored

a store of good jokes

b

plural : accumulated supplies (as of food) : stock

a ship's stores

2

: value entry 1 sense 3, importance

a family that set great store by tradition

3

: a place where goods are sold : shop

store

3 of 3 adjective

: purchased from a store : ready-made

store clothes

store bread