store

American  

[stawr] / stɔr /

noun

• stores
  plural

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.

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verb (used with object)

• stores,
  present (3rd person singular)
• stored,
  past participle,  past
• storing
  present participle

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)

• stores,
  present (3rd person singular)
• stored,
  past participle,  past
• storing
  present participle

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

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noun

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

   2. ( in combination )

      storefront

2. 1. a large supply or stock kept for future use

   2. ( as modifier )

      store ship

3. short for department store

4. 1. a storage place such as a warehouse or depository

   2. ( in combination )

      storeman

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

6. a large amount or quantity

7. computing another name for memory

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

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

   2. ( as modifier )

      store cattle

10. forthcoming or imminent

11. to value or reckon as important

store More Idioms  

1. see in store; mind the store; set store by; variety store.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• stores
  plural

Participles

• storing
  present
• stored
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• store
  simple
• stores
  simple
• have stored
  perfect
• has stored
  perfect
• am storing
  progressive
• are storing
  progressive
• is storing
  progressive
• have been storing
  perfect progressive
• has been storing
  perfect progressive

Past

• stored
  simple
• had stored
  perfect
• was storing
  progressive
• were storing
  progressive
• had been storing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will store
  simple
• will have stored
  perfect
• will be storing
  progressive
• will have been storing
  perfect progressive

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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; see origin at in- ², steer ¹, restore

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Explanation

As the sentence "This store stores a large store of rubber ducks" will tell you, store is a word with a lot of definitions. Among these are "a place that sells items," "the act of keeping things for future use," and "a supply of something." As a noun, store often refers to a place where things are sold, such as an electronics store. This meaning of the word likely sprang up from the original meaning, "a supply of something kept for future use." As a verb, store refers to the act of putting things away for later. Chipmunks store nuts in their cheeks, people store their winter clothes when springtime arrives, and techies store information on backup drives.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

store stores stored storing

The seafood store had a table with raised sides and carp swimming in it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

The film won the award, and this time, Barroso had a surprise in store, an Oscar-worthy dress ready to go for the big night even though she’d just had surgery after suffering a brain aneurysm.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

I miss the corner candy store or luncheonettes of my early life in Brooklyn and Long Island.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

Conventional computers store information in bits that have one of two values, 0 or 1.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026

The store was running advertisements in the Times.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Erewhon’s stores are concentrated in one area because the company operates with a commissary model, in which its central kitchen is in Los Angeles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

The deal, its newly minted CEO said at the time, would allow the chain to renew “our focus on our core pharmacy and retail platform, our stores and our customer experience.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

Rite Aid wasn’t as aggressive but still built up its national footprint to as many as 5,000 stores.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

Cava is ahead of schedule on its goal to operate 1,000 stores by 2032, according to Tolivar.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

But inside the stores, the racks were nearly bare.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

Lee Pitcher said in a Facebook post he had been told the waste was being stored in "an uncovered stockpile" at the site in Finningley.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

Commodity funds can own physical products stored in vaults, such as gold or silver ETFs, or they own futures contracts to track prices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

He’s become something of a collector, with 10 typewriters stored in the trunk of his car because he’s run out of room in his studio apartment, even storing one in his bathroom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

A. aegis had been fixed in ethanol rather than formalin, the only member of the genus stored that way, and ethanol leaves genetic material intact.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026

So as much food as possible must be stored away in the little house before winter came.

From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Eight months into the conflict, storing oil closer to top customers in Asia is becoming a key strategy to mitigate supply risks, speeding up deliveries while bolstering host countries’ energy security.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Astronaut John Daniel “Danny” Olivas remembers his crews storing tortillas near the blue Velcro.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

The IDF said at the time it had targeted a site where Hezbollah had been operating from and storing weapons, and that the incident was under review.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Being able to examine these connected changes could eventually help researchers design more efficient catalysts, fuel cells, flow batteries and other technologies for converting and storing energy.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

But by claiming that the Jesuits dealt in fairy tales while he dealt in facts, Galileo was storing up more trouble for himself in Rome.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

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Related Words

• boutique
• chain store
• convenience store
• deli
• department store
• discount store
• drugstore
• emporium
• grocery store
• market
• outlet
• shop
• shopping center
• showroom
• supermarket

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