Meaning & use
store
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Meanings
nouncountableAmerican
A place where goods are sold to customers, whether small or large.
Grammar: A countable noun: a store, three stores. In British English shop is the usual word for a small one.
Patterns
- a store that sells something
- go to the store
I stopped at the store to buy milk.
The new store opens at nine tomorrow.
She works in a clothing store downtown.
nouncountable
An amount of something kept ready for later use.
Grammar: Often followed by of: a store of food. It can also be plural: stores.
Patterns
- a store of something
- in store
Squirrels build a store of nuts for the winter.
The village had a large store of grain.
He has a huge store of knowledge about trains.
verbtransitive
To keep something in a place until you need it.
Grammar: Takes an object: store the files. A passive form is common: the food is stored in a cellar.
Patterns
- store something in something
- store something away
Please store the leftovers in the refrigerator.
The computer stores your photos online.
We store our winter coats in the attic.
nouncountableBritish
A place where things are kept, such as a warehouse or storeroom.
Grammar: Often used in compounds: a cold store, a grain store.
Patterns
- a store for something
The apples are kept in a cold store until spring.
Tools go in the store behind the barn.
The army stored fuel in a large underground store.
Word forms
| plural | stores |
|---|---|
| third person singular | stores |
| past tense | stored |
| past participle | stored |
| -ing form | storing |
Common combinations
- grocery store
- The grocery store closes at ten.
- store data
- The device can store data for years.
- in store for
- There is a surprise in store for you.
- department store
- The department store has a sale on this week.
- set great store by
- She sets great store by punctuality.
- store up
- Camels store up fat in their humps.
Synonyms and how they differ
- shop
- Shop is the usual British word for a small store, while American English prefers store for most places that sell goods.
- supply
- Supply refers to an amount available for use, while store stresses that it has been put aside for later.
- stock
- Stock refers to goods a business has for sale, while a store of something is kept for personal use.
- keep
- Keep is a general word for holding on to something, but store implies putting it away in a particular place for later.
Opposites
Word family
- storage noun
- the keeping of things for future use
- storeroom noun
- a room where things are kept
- storekeeper noun
- a person who runs a store
- restore verb
- to bring back to a former state
- storehouse noun
- a building for keeping goods
Commonly confused: store or stare?
store vs stare
Stare means to look at something steadily. It sounds similar to store in some accents but is spelled differently.
Practice
In which sentence does store mean to keep for later?
Choose one answer.
Only 'store seeds in glass jars' uses the verb meaning to keep for later. The other sentences use the noun for a shop.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “store”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.