storage

American  

[stawr-ij, stohr-] / ˈstɔr ɪdʒ, ˈstoʊr- /

noun

1. the act of storing; state or fact of being stored.

   All my furniture is in storage.

2. capacity or space for storing.

3. a place, as a room or building, for storing.

4. Computers. memory.

5. the price charged for storing goods.

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storage British  

/ ˈstɔːrɪdʒ /

noun

1. the act of storing or the state of being stored

2. space or area reserved for storing

3. a charge made for storing

4. computing

   1. the act or process of storing information in a computer memory or on a magnetic tape, disk, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a storage device

      storage capacity

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storage Idioms  

1. see in cold storage.

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Other Word Forms

• nonstorage noun
• prestorage noun

Etymology

Origin of storage

First recorded in 1605–15; store + -age

Explanation

Storage refers to storing something, like in a basement or attic. People keep all sorts of things in storage — from fur coats to bowling trophies. When you store something, you put it away somewhere safe, so storage is the act of storing. Squirrels gather nuts and put them in storage by hiding them. A grocery store might use a stockroom for storage. If you have canned food in the basement, that's storage. Some storage is for emergencies, while other storage is for things you might want to look at another time, like old photos. Things in storage are being saved for later.

Example Sentences

None of the storage containers were licensed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and there are no licenses that permit the storage of explosives near homes and public roadways, Nabity said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

The Neo’s low price point and simple specifications—8 gigabytes of memory, 256GB of storage, and an A18 Pro chip—make it a desirable student option.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Fujairah is also a center for oil storage, trading and ship refueling.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

As of late 2024, close to 2,300 gigawatts of wind, solar, storage and other projects were waiting in U.S. interconnection queues, far exceeding the capacity that can realistically be added in the near term.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

He looked as though he’d just been about to hibernate, his body plump with food storage, and the chair groaned nervously beneath him.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Related Words

• cache
• depot
• repository
• stockpile
• storehouse