Meaning & use
repository
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A place where things such as documents, objects or data are kept safely and can be found when needed.
Grammar: Often followed by of: a repository of records; also used for the place itself.
Patterns
- a repository of something
- a repository for something
The national archive is the main repository of historical records.
The museum serves as a repository for thousands of fossils.
The library's basement is a repository of old newspapers.
nouncountablecomputing
A central place on a computer or server where code, files or data are stored and managed, often with a history of changes.
Grammar: Usually followed by a name or type: a code repository, a repo for short in informal talk.
Patterns
- clone a repository
- push to a repository
She pushed her changes to the project repository before leaving.
Every developer on the team can clone the repository.
The company keeps all its source code in a private repository.
nouncountablefigurativeformal
A person or thing that holds a great deal of knowledge or secrets, as a source of information.
Grammar: Used figuratively with of: a repository of wisdom.
Patterns
- a repository of knowledge
Her grandfather was a repository of local stories.
The old teacher was a repository of wisdom about the village.
The elderly chief was seen as a repository of tribal law.
Word forms
| plural | repositories |
|---|
Common combinations
- a repository of knowledge
- The encyclopedia is a repository of knowledge.
- code repository
- Please commit the fix to the code repository.
- digital repository
- The university runs a digital repository of student theses.
- central repository
- Create a central repository for all company policies.
- online repository
- The paper is available in an online repository.
- clone a repository
- Clone the repository to your laptop to start work.
Synonyms and how they differ
- archive
- An archive holds records kept for their lasting historical value, while a repository can store anything for any purpose.
- store
- Store is the ordinary word for a place to keep things, and repository sounds more formal and organized.
- depot
- A depot is a place for storing goods or vehicles temporarily, which a repository is not.
- database
- A database is a structured collection of data, while a repository can also hold documents and code.
Word family
- repositories noun
- plural of repository
- repo noun
- informal short form used by programmers
- deposit verb
- to put something in a place for safe keeping
- depository noun
- a place where things are put for safe keeping, especially money or goods
Commonly confused: repository or depository?
repository vs depository
A depository is a place for depositing valuables such as money or goods. A repository is a storehouse for information, records or objects, often of value to many users.
Practice
The developers store all of their source code in a shared ___ so that everyone can see the history of changes.
Choose one answer.
A repository is a place where code and its history are stored. A reservoir holds water, so it does not fit the computing context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “repository”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.