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• treasury
  treasury

  noun

  a place where the funds of the government, of a corporation, or the like are deposited, kept, and disbursed.
• Treasury
  Treasury

  noun

  (in various countries) the government department in charge of finance. In Britain the Treasury is also responsible for economic strategy

treasury

American  

[trezh-uh-ree] / ˈtrɛʒ ə ri /

noun

• treasuries
  plural

1. a place where the funds of the government, of a corporation, or the like are deposited, kept, and disbursed.

2. funds or revenue of a government, public or private corporation, etc.

3. (initial capital letter) the department of government that has control over the collection, management, and disbursement of the public revenue.

4. a building, room, chest, or other place for the preservation of treasure or valuable objects.

5. a collection or supply of excellent or highly prized writings, works of art, etc..

   a treasury of American poetry.

6. Informal. Treasuries, Treasury bills, bonds, and notes.

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treasury ¹ British  

/ ˈtrɛʒərɪ /

noun

1. a storage place for treasure

2. the revenues or funds of a government, private organization, or individual

3. a place where funds are kept and disbursed

4. Also: treasure house.  a collection or source of valuable items

   a treasury of information

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Treasury ² British  

/ ˈtrɛʒərɪ /

noun

1. (in various countries) the government department in charge of finance. In Britain the Treasury is also responsible for economic strategy

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• treasuries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of treasury

1250–1300; Middle English tresorie < Old French. See treasure, -y ³

Explanation

A treasury is a kind of bank — it's a place where money and other valuable things are kept, or where a country keeps its wealth. You might guess that a treasury is a place to keep your treasure, and you'd be right. Originally, the word literally meant "room for treasure," from the Old French tresor, "hoard or treasure." Starting in the late 1300s, it also meant "department that controls public revenue," which remains the most common use of treasury today. The U.S. even has an official Department of the Treasury, the part of the executive branch that prints money and collects taxes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

treasury Treasury treasuries

Oil prices turned sharply lower on Tuesday as a Qatari official and the U.S. treasury secretary talked about a potential short-term deal between the U.S. and Iran that would possibly reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

Both the 2028 Games and those future events will help fill Pasadena hotels, restaurants and shops, bolstering the local economy and adding tax dollars to the city treasury, according to supporters of the plan.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

There may be some surprise at Benn's exit from government as he had just started talks with the Stormont parties and treasury officials in a bid to agree a multi-year budget after months of stalemate.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Investors say they are reassured amid speculation that the new prime minister won’t name Ed Miliband as treasury chief.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

From the original eight thousand talents left by Cleomenes, the treasury of Ptolemy II Philadelphus mushroomed to 740,000 talents—-a handsome 9,150 percent increase.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

Treasury yields rose as oil gained, while the dollar was flat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Treasury and the Federal Reserve participated in that intervention.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

The yield on the 2-year Treasury note, which is sensitive to expectations for the interest rates set by the Fed, slipped to 4.203%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Both had previously been sanctioned by the US Treasury Department following Cuba's 2021 anti-government protests.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

That metal was also in short supply—except for the US Treasury Department’s monetary reserve, which was located in a vault at West Point.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

“However, the market reaction overnight was telling: as the U.S. dollar remains the current safe haven through this even as U.S. treasuries came under strong pressure yesterday,” he added.

From Barron's ● Mar. 3, 2026

What we’re seeing now is like a silent IPO: early, oversized holders distributing to a much broader base of buyers who came in through ETFs, brokerages and corporate treasuries.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 17, 2025

But she says the process won’t be a drain on foreign treasuries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2025

The activity implied that treasuries may have lost their glow, or that the stock market collapse had produced untenable losses among Wall Street traders.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2025

The shafts ran down by many slopes and spiral stairs to caverns far under; there Saruman had treasuries, store-houses, armouries, smithies, and great furnaces.

From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien

Related Words

• bank
• coffer
• exchequer