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; see 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

So far the students have visited a bus depot and a youth charity, with plans to visit a construction site next.

From BBC • May 30, 2026

Sure enough, at 3 a.m. a drone punched into a grease oil depot on Obeid’s edge.

From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026

Navy set up an ammunition depot to produce rockets for World War II. The town sat near major rail lines, which allowed munitions to be transported to both coasts.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026

Noah, who was 14, disappeared on 21 June 2020, and his body was found in the tunnel close to a Translink depot along the M2 in north Belfast.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

Schindler reaches the depot barely in time to yell Stern's name and pull him off the train just as it starts to move.

From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson

Related Words

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