silo

[ sahy-loh ]

/ ˈsaɪ loʊ /

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noun, plural si·los.

a structure, typically cylindrical, in which fodder or forage is kept: The dairy farm's two biggest buildings were the barn and the silo full of feed for the cows.

a pit or underground space for storing grain, green feeds, etc.

Military. an underground installation constructed of concrete and steel, designed to house a ballistic missile and the equipment for firing it.

a group, unit, enterprise, etc., that is isolated from others or functions independently, typically viewed as not deriving the benefits of interrelationships or collaboration: Fundraising department silos happen when different teams don't share their ideas and plans.

Also called data silo, information silo. Computers. an unintegrated data repository that cannot share its stored data with other systems, subsystems, or applications: When an organization deploys a stand-alone solution to improve operations, it risks creating a data silo that may present difficulties when trying to scale throughout the enterprise.

verb (used with object), si·loed, si·lo·ing.

to put into or preserve in a silo, as fodder, grain, or missiles.

to separate or isolate (a group, unit, enterprise, etc.) from others: We Americans are now more sheltered and siloed in our sources of news than ever before.

QUIZ

TAKE JOY IN ACING THIS QUIZ ON “PRIDE” SYNONYMS

Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”

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What does "dignity" mean?

showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

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Origin of silo

First recorded in 1825–35; from Spanish: “place for storing grain, hay, etc.,” originally, “subterranean”; further origin uncertain

Words nearby silo

silly billy, Silly Putty, silly season, silly-sider, sillyweed, silo, Siloam, siloed, Silone, siloxane, silt

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use silo in a sentence

Monitoring grain silos, at very least, qualifies for the first part.
Crover’s robot swims in grain silos to monitor environmental conditions|Brian Heater|September 17, 2020|TechCrunch
By combining their wisdom rather than searching for cures in silos, the community of scientists and researchers is speeding the progress exponentially.
The race for a COVID-19 vaccine shows the power of ‘community intelligence’|matthewheimer|September 9, 2020|Fortune
Both of these are massive centralized state architectures where the whole point is to remove the technical silos between different state and other kinds of databases, and to make sure that these databases are centrally linked.
Eight case studies on regulating biometric technology show us a path forward|Karen Hao|September 4, 2020|MIT Technology Review
This was the very breakthrough she needed for going from being caught outside in a separate silo to working inside with the development team.
Power SEO Friendly Markup With HTML5, CSS3, And Javascript|Detlef Johnson|August 20, 2020|Search Engine Land

We had each been in our own silos trying to advocate with our own local legislators.
How Los Angeles and San Diego Unified Started Driving State Education Policy|Will Huntsberry|July 29, 2020|Voice of San Diego
There appear to be two crosses atop this overall structure, one on the main house and a larger one on the silo.
George W. Bush ‘Comes Out’ As Artist|Lizzie Crocker|February 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Is Correa ready to convert his impoverished nation into a digital missile silo aimed at the giant in El Norte?
Julian Assange’s Asylum Gamble: End of the Wikileaks Saga?|Mac Margolis|July 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The largest and tallest building in Kabul is a grain silo and bread factory, built by the Soviets.
U.S. Must Show It Respects Quran and Its Importance to Afghans|Jere Van Dyk|February 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Even more wistfully, he was a passionate generalist in a time in which our ideas and expertise have become more and more silo-ed.
We Need More Moynihans|John Avlon|October 18, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Later: a tall, silo-like cement building, apparently used for irrigation.
My Night on the Border|Bryan Curtis|May 25, 2010|DAILY BEAST
At the far end of the field he could dimly discern on a little ridge of land a great barn with a huge silo.
The Flying Reporter|Lewis E. (Lewis Edwin) Theiss
The latest movement was the silo system, the burying of grass under pressure, instead of making it into hay.
The Hills and the Vale|Richard Jefferies
As a rule the crop should be mown 654 when in full flower, and deposited in the silo on the day of its cutting.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 6|Various
The material is spread in uniform layers over the floor of the silo, and closely packed and trodden down.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 6|Various
Maize is cut a few days before it is ripe and is shredded before being elevated into the silo.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 6|Various

British Dictionary definitions for silo

silo

/ (ˈsaɪləʊ) /

noun plural -los

a pit, trench, horizontal container, or tower, often cylindrical in shape, in which silage is made and stored

a strengthened underground position in which missile systems are sited for protection against attack

Word Origin for silo

C19: from Spanish, perhaps from Celtic

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

silo

Origin of silo

Words nearby silo

Words related to silo

How to use silo in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for silo

Word Origin for silo