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⇱ STORE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com


store

American  
[stawr] / stɔr /

noun

  1. an establishment where merchandise is sold, usually on a retail basis.

  2. a grocery.

    We need bread and milk from the store.

  3. a stall, room, floor, or building housing or suitable for housing a retail business.

  4. a supply or stock of something, especially one for future use.

  5. stores, supplies of food, clothing, or other requisites, as for a household, inn, or naval or military forces.

  6. Chiefly British. a storehouse or warehouse.

  7. quantity, especially great quantity; abundance, or plenty.

    a rich store of grain.


verb (used with object)

stored, storing
  1. to supply or stock with something, as for future use.

  2. to accumulate or put away, for future use (usually followed by up oraway ).

    Synonyms:
    stockpile, hoard, husband, save, amass
  3. to deposit in a storehouse, warehouse, or other place for keeping.

  4. Computers. to put or retain (data) in a memory unit.

verb (used without object)

stored, storing
  1. to take in or hold supplies, goods, or articles, as for future use.

  2. to remain fresh and usable for considerable time on being stored.

    Flour stores well.

adjective

  1. bought from a store; commercial.

    a loaf of store bread.

idioms

  1. in store,

    1. in readiness or reserve.

    2. about to happen; imminent.

      There is a great deal of trouble in store for them if they persist in their ways.

  2. set / lay store by, to have high regard for; value; esteem.

    She sets great store by good character.

store British  
/ stɔː /

verb

  1. (tr) to keep, set aside, or accumulate for future use

  2. (tr) to place in a warehouse, depository, etc, for safekeeping

  3. (tr) to supply, provide, or stock

  4. (intr) to be put into storage

  5. computing to enter or retain (information) in a storage device

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

    1. an establishment for the retail sale of goods and services

    2. ( in combination )

      storefront

    1. a large supply or stock kept for future use

    2. ( as modifier )

      store ship

  1. short for department store

    1. a storage place such as a warehouse or depository

    2. ( in combination )

      storeman

  2. the state of being stored (esp in the phrase in store )

  3. a large amount or quantity

  4. computing another name for memory

  5. Also called: store pig.  a pig that has not yet been weaned and weighs less than 40 kg

    1. an animal bought lean to be fattened up for market

    2. ( as modifier )

      store cattle

  6. forthcoming or imminent

  7. to value or reckon as important

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
store More Idioms  

Other Word Forms

  • overstore verb
  • storable adjective
  • storer noun
  • substore noun
  • well-stored adjective

Etymology

Origin of store

First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English verb storen, shortening of astoren, from Old French estorer, from Latin instaurāre “to repeat, start over, set up,” equivalent to in- intensive prefix + combining form staur- (akin to Greek staurós “pole, cross” and Old Norse staurr “pole”) + -āre infinitive suffix; noun derived from the verb; in- 2, steer 1, restore

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Phosphorus helps build DNA and RNA, which store and pass along genetic information, and it also plays a key role in how cells manage energy.

From Science Daily • Apr. 6, 2026

While flash memory is taking a couple of points of market share from HDDs each year, HDDs continue to store around 80% of the world’s cloud data.

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

The analysts’ calculations were also a function of the store closures that followed.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026

Smith told the Guardian he regretted his actions but decided to intervene at the store in Clapham Junction, south London, after seeing thefts there "every hour of every day for the last five years".

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

When I reached our store, Chan’s Art Emporium, I paused to check our own windows.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.