Meaning & use
warehouse
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Meanings
nouncountable
A big building where goods are kept in bulk until they are sold, shipped or used.
Grammar: Often used before another noun: a warehouse worker, a warehouse sale.
Patterns
- in a warehouse
- a warehouse full of something
The furniture arrived at the warehouse on Monday.
He drives a forklift at a distribution warehouse.
The online shop keeps its stock in a warehouse near the port.
verbtransitivebusiness
To put goods or materials into storage in a large building.
Grammar: Takes an object: they warehouse their stock overseas.
Patterns
- warehouse something
- warehouse something in somewhere
The firm warehouses its spare parts in Texas.
Wine is warehoused until it has aged enough to sell.
They warehoused the equipment over the winter.
Word forms
| plural | warehouses |
|---|---|
| third person singular | warehouses |
| past tense | warehoused |
| -ing form | warehousing |
Common combinations
- distribution warehouse
- The distribution warehouse ships orders worldwide.
- warehouse worker
- She works as a warehouse worker on the night shift.
- bonded warehouse
- The whiskey is kept in a bonded warehouse until duty is paid.
- warehouse club
- We buy rice in bulk at the warehouse club.
- warehouse conversion
- They bought a warehouse conversion with high ceilings.
Synonyms and how they differ
- depot
- A depot is typically a smaller base where vehicles or goods are collected, whereas a warehouse is mainly for storage.
- storehouse
- Storehouse is older and sounds more traditional, often for food or supplies on a farm.
- stockroom
- A stockroom is a room within a shop or office, much smaller than a warehouse.
- depository
- Depository stresses safekeeping of valuables or documents rather than commercial goods.
Word family
- warehousing noun
- the business of storing goods
- warehouseman noun
- a person who works in or manages a warehouse
- house verb
- to provide a place for something
- ware noun
- goods for sale, usually in the plural wares
Commonly confused: warehouse or storehouse?
warehouse vs storehouse
A storehouse is a general place for keeping supplies; a warehouse is the standard commercial term for bulk goods.
Practice
Where would a company most likely keep thousands of boxes of unsold stock?
Choose one answer.
A warehouse is built for bulk storage. A showroom displays goods for customers.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “warehouse”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.