cellar

American  

[sel-er] / ˈsɛl ər /

noun

1. a room, or set of rooms, for the storage of food, fuel, etc., wholly or partly underground and usually beneath a building.

2. an underground room or story.

3. wine cellar.

4. Sports. the lowest position in a group ranked in order of games won.

   The team was in the cellar for most of the season.

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verb (used with object)

1. to place or store in a cellar.

cellar British  

/ ˈsɛlə /

noun

1. an underground room, rooms, or storey of a building, usually used for storage Compare basement

2. a place where wine is stored

3. a stock of bottled wines

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verb

1. (tr) to store in a cellar

Other Word Forms

• cellarless adjective

Etymology

Origin of cellar

1175–1225; Middle English celer < Anglo-French < Latin cellārium storeroom, equivalent to cell ( a ) cell + -ārium -ary; later respelling to reflect Latin form; -er ², -ar ²

Example Sentences

Oregon had, on the other hand, spent most of the season in the Big Ten cellar.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2026

Mount Vernon’s newest chapter lies below stairs, in the cellar.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026

"I lost everything, and we just survived because my family and our neighbours were hiding in the cellar," she says.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2026

My preschool was built over the cellar of the medieval palace where Shakespeare set a scene in “Richard II.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

Aunt Kitty smiled and nodded politely, but the moment Mrs. Maroney disappeared, she raced for the cellar door and was down the stairs in a flash.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

Related Words

• apartment
• basement
• vault