depot

American  

[dee-poh, dep-oh] / ˈdi poʊ, ˈdɛp oʊ /

noun

1. a railroad station.

   Synonyms:

   terminal

2. a bus station.

   Synonyms:

   terminal

3. Military.

   1. a place in which supplies and materials are stored for distribution.

   2. (formerly) a place where recruits are assembled for classification, initial training, and assignment to active units.

4. a storehouse or warehouse, as a building where freight is deposited.

5. Physiology. a place where body products not actively involved in metabolic processes are accumulated, deposited, or stored.

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depot British  

/ ˈdiːpəʊ, ˈdɛpəʊ /

noun

1. a storehouse or warehouse

2. military

   1. a store for supplies

   2. a training and holding centre for recruits and replacements

3. a building used for the storage and servicing of buses or railway engines

4. 1. a bus or railway station

   2. ( as modifier )

      a depot manager

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adjective

1. (of a drug or drug dose) designed for gradual release from the site of an injection so as to act over a long period

Other Word Forms

• subdepot noun

Etymology

Origin of depot

1785–95; < French dépot < Latin dēpositum, noun use of neuter of dēpositus; deposit

Explanation

A depot is a place where things are stored in large quantities for future use. Your office might have a depot in the back where supplies are stored. Depot came into English from the French word dépôt, meaning "a deposit, place of deposit." A depot can be a place like a warehouse where items are temporarily deposited, but we also use it for a train or bus station. In this case, think of it as a place where a many passengers are being temporarily housed. Your bus trip might require you to get off one bus at a big depot, and transfer to another.

Example Sentences

In late March at the annual Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tenn., Georgia Anne Muldrow bounced on sparkling silver high-heeled boots at Jackson Terminal, a former railroad freight depot.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

For six weeks, she was shuttled with other women between detention sites, including al-Mina al-Bary, a bus depot near the market where the UN said hundreds were held in about 70 shipping containers.

From Barron's • Mar. 22, 2026

The depot is the beating heart of the Iranian oil industry, storing and loading most of its crude oil exports.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

Another man from Karaj said the strike on the depot caused a "huge explosion and it was on fire for hours".

From BBC • Mar. 8, 2026

Grandpa must of been twenty-five at least when he turned over the privy at the depot with a Yankee railroad bigwig in it.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

Related Words

• armory
• garage
• store
• storehouse
• terminal
• yard