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

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

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

“Inferno,” the first album from Boards of Canada in 13 years, should satisfy the beloved electronic duo’s devoted fan base.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

The Swedish singer Zara Larsson released her debut album more than a decade ago, but she’s finally won over American audiences with the hedonistic trance-pop of “Midnight Sun.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

In 2022, Happi, Roach and the prisoners released an album named Jail Time Vol 1.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

"If I'd made another album that felt more dance-leaning, it would have felt really hard, really sad," she told Vogue in the first interview for the album, external.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

I pulled the album from under his arm.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

She has played in bands and led her own, releasing four solo albums since 2015.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

Yet across all 14 tracks, “Bootleg” still definitely feels like the same band that put out beloved albums like 2015’s “haha” and 2020’s “Kiss My Super Bowl Ring.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Reflecting more recent tastes, the Charts Company has also published a list of the most-streamed albums of the 2020s, led by Olivia Rodrigo's Sour.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Mostly I just went back and binged Stones albums.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

On the morning that we left for Mattru Jong, we loaded our backpacks with notebooks of lyrics we were working on and stuffed our pockets with cassettes of rap albums.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah

Related Words

• collection
• scrapbook