inventory

[in-vuhn-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee]

noun

plural

inventories 

1. a complete listing of merchandise or stock on hand, work in progress, raw materials, finished goods on hand, etc., made each year by a business concern.

2. the objects or items represented on such a list, as a merchant's stock of goods.

3. the aggregate value of a stock of goods.

4. raw material from the time of its receipt at an industrial plant for manufacturing purposes to the time it is sold.

5. a detailed, often descriptive, list of articles, giving the code number, quantity, and value of each; catalog.

   Synonyms: account, register, record, roster

6. a formal list of movables, as of a merchant's stock of goods.

7. a formal list of the property of a person or estate.

8. a tally of one's personality traits, aptitudes, skills, etc., for use in counseling and guidance.

9. a catalog of natural resources, especially a count or estimate of wildlife and game in a particular area.

10. the act of making a catalog or detailed listing.

verb (used with object)

inventoried, inventorying 

1. to make an inventory of; enter in an inventory; catalog.

2. to take stock of; evaluate.

   to inventory one's life and accomplishments.

3. to summarize.

   to inventory the progress in chemistry.

4. to keep an available supply of (merchandise); stock.

verb (used without object)

inventoried, inventorying 

1. to have value as shown by an inventory.

   stock that inventories at two million dollars.

inventory

/ -trɪ, ˈɪnvəntərɪ /

noun

1. a detailed list of articles, goods, property, etc

2. (often plural) accounting

   1. the amount or value of a firm's current assets that consist of raw materials, work in progress, and finished goods; stock

   2. such assets individually

verb

1. (tr) to enter (items) in an inventory; make a list of

inventory

1. An itemized list of a firm's goods that have not yet been sold.

Other Word Forms

• inventoriable adjective
• inventorial adjective
• inventorially adverb
• overinventoried adjective
• preinventory noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of inventory¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English inventorie, from Medieval Latin inventōrium; invent, -tory ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of inventory¹

C16: from Medieval Latin inventōrium; see _invent

Synonym Study

See list ¹.

Example Sentences

“In the meantime, we could see a significant price spike if in-state inventories are limited,” Borenstein said, noting that the fire comes at a moment when many refineries in the state are scheduling maintenance.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Andy Baum, the county’s outside attorney leading the defense effort, told a judge in a June hearing that he viewed it as an “inventory settlement.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

County was cumbersome and time consuming and relied on spreadsheets, phone calls and daily emails to track inventory and get people shelter.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In January, Joann filed for bankruptcy, citing lower sales and an inventory shortage.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Sheikh Rehman, who owns a crockery store, said he was still negotiating with his suppliers on how to manage taxes on the inventory he had already purchased.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• backlog 
• fund 
• index 
• reserve 
• stockpile 
• supply 

When To Use

What does inventory mean?

An inventory is a complete list of all merchandise or stock of items owned by or available from a business.At a store, an inventory is the complete list of all items for sale at the store. At a manufacturer, an inventory is a complete list of all the raw materials they have, as well as finished items and items being created.An inventory is also the specific set of products to sell, as in The store’s inventory of superhero capes is running low and will probably sell out soon.An inventory can also refer to figurative belongings, such as a person’s personality traits and skills.To inventory means to add things to an inventory list, whether a literal or figurative list, as in I inventoried my options for colleges and chose the school I’ll attend next year.Example: Can you take inventory tonight so we can be ready for the rush tomorrow?