cellar

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A room below ground level in a building, used for keeping food, wine, fuel or other things cool or out of the way.

   Grammar: Countable: in the cellar, down to the cellar.

   Patterns

   • in the cellar
   • down the cellar steps

   We keep potatoes and apples in the cellar.

   The old cellar smelled of damp stone.

   He fetched a bottle from the cellar.

2. 2nouncountable

   A collection of wines kept by a person, restaurant or hotel.

   Grammar: Countable and often with a possessive: the hotel's cellar.

   Patterns

   • a cellar of wines

   The restaurant has a fine cellar of French wines.

   His cellar holds three hundred bottles.

   She inherited a respected cellar.

3. 3nounsingularinformalsport

   The lowest position in a league or ranking, used for a team at the bottom of the table.

   Grammar: Usually with the: stuck in the cellar.

   Patterns

   • in the cellar

   The team has been in the cellar all season.

   Sales have fallen into the cellar.

   They climbed out of the cellar at last.

Word forms

Common combinations

wine cellar

They built a wine cellar under the stairs.

root cellar

A root cellar keeps vegetables cool.

storm cellar

The family hurried into the storm cellar.

cellar door

The cellar door creaked open.

coal cellar

The old coal cellar is now a gym.

Synonyms and how they differ

basement

A basement is a floor below ground that may be lived in, while a cellar is usually for storage.

vault

A vault is an arched or secure room, often for valuables or burials.

crypt

A crypt lies beneath a church and holds tombs.

Opposites

Word family

cellarage noun

cellar space or the charge for storing goods in one

cellarman noun

a person who looks after the barrels in a pub or winery

cellaret noun

a small cabinet for bottles

Commonly confused: cellar or seller?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “cellar”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words