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

Plus, how one man ditched a storage unit that cost him $100,000 and the Midwestern city turning empty department stores into apartments.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Or a condo board forgetting to bill for storage fees.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 17, 2026

A comprehensive program could eventually increase their storage capacity by more than 2 million acre-feet, enough water to supply all of California’s urban water users for nearly three months.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Albemarle stock surged 16.3% to a 52-week high, driven by soaring demand for lithium in EV batteries and energy storage.

From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026

The friendship, so long in storage, had never completely died.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• cache
• depot
• repository
• stockpile
• storehouse