album

American  

[al-buhm] / ˈæl bəm /

noun

• albums
  plural

1. 1. a bound or loose-leaf book consisting of blank pages, pockets, envelopes, etc., for storing or displaying photographs, stamps, or the like, or for collecting autographs.

   2. a digital collection of photographs, stored on a computer or mobile device for viewing, displaying, or sharing.

2. 1. a record or set of records containing several musical selections, a complete play or opera, etc..

      Her album of folk songs will be out next month.

   2. the package or container for such a record or records.

      The album has a pocket for each record.

   3. a collection of audio recordings released together as a collected work.

      The digital release of their debut album sold more copies than expected.

3. a printed book containing an anthology of writings, reproductions of photographs or artwork, musical compositions, etc.

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album British  

/ ˈælbəm /

noun

1. a book or binder consisting of blank pages, pockets, or envelopes for keeping photographs, stamps, autographs, drawings, poems, etc

2. one or more CDs, cassettes, or long-playing records released as a single item

3. a booklike holder containing sleeves for gramophone records

4. an anthology, usually large and illustrated

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• albums
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of album

First recorded in 1610–20; 1955–60 album for def. 2; from Latin: neuter singular of albus “white,” i.e., a blank (tablet) painted white for writing on

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Explanation

An album is a book of photographs, mementos, or a collection of some other kind — like music. As digital forms of photographs and music become more popular, albums are becoming a thing of the past. A photo album is full of pictures, and a stamp collector's album contains stamps from different countries. Another kind of album is a collection of songs, either on a record or a CD. In Latin, album means "white," and in ancient times it referred to a blank tablet. 16th century German academics kept what they called an album amicorum, or a collection of colleagues' signatures, and from there album came to mean "souvenir book."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

album albums

And, however dark his new album gets, there's always a silver lining.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

Tyler first worked with Britten in 1977, when he played guitar on her debut album, The World Starts Tonight.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

In 1996, he won a Grammy for best spoken word album for children for “Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf.”

From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2026

The singer channeled nostalgia for his 1960s youth into an energetic but reflective album that proved a pivot point in his career.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

The presents were always nice, but being together—with the fireplace going, and Dad’s favorite Motown Christmas album playing—was the best part.

From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks

While he has sold more than 71 million albums in the U.S. to date, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, he hasn’t put out a new solo project since “4:44” in 2017.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

While Minaj has more studio albums, Cardi B is a prolific hitmaker known for her metrical prowess and a kind of braggadocio that’s hard to beat.

From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2026

I own six Lou Reed albums, including Berlin on vinyl.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

The group recorded three albums between 1971 and 1973, with Lunny playing bouzouki, guitar, keyboards and bodhrán throughout.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

Mrs. Baxter flipped through the record albums that were stored in a dark wooden cabinet.

From "The Red Umbrella" by Christina Gonzalez

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Related Words

• collection
• scrapbook

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