warehouse

[n. wair-hous; v. wair-houz, -hous] /n. ˈwɛərˌhaʊs; v. ˈwɛərˌhaʊz, -ˌhaʊs/
noun, plural warehouses
[wair-hou-ziz] /ˈwɛərˌhaʊ zɪz/ (Show IPA)
1.
a building, or a part of one, for the storage of goods, merchandise, etc.
2.
British. a large retail store.
3.
a building, or a part of one, in which wholesalers keep large stocks of merchandise, which they display and sell to retailers.
verb (used with object), warehoused [wair-houzd] /ˈwɛərˌhaʊzd/ (Show IPA), warehousing [wair-hou-zing] /ˈwɛərˌhaʊ zɪŋ/ (Show IPA)
4.
to place, deposit, or store in a warehouse.
5.
to set aside or accumulate, as for future use.
6.
to place in a government or bonded warehouse, to be kept until duties are paid.
7.
Informal. to confine (the mentally ill) to large institutions for long-term custodial care.
Origin
1300-50; Middle English; see ware1, house
Related forms
miniwarehouse, noun
Examples from the web for warehouse
  • Stores have seen waves of panic buying, and a wholesale warehouse was looted.
  • Cage-free means chickens raised for meat were not kept in cages within a warehouse.
  • To all warehouse workers get ready to go back to school and learn new skills.
  • The small warehouse is a mad workshop of strange dreams.
  • Bodyguards met him at the airport and took him to a warehouse outside the capital.
  • Unfortunately, the university has turned into a warehouse for surplus workers.
  • Bankers got rid of the warehouse fee when they realized they could loan the cash out and make money off it.
  • Turn left and walk toward a large industrial-looking warehouse.
  • The above photo is not a random shot of a warehouse.
  • Once a barrel is filled with the newly made spirit, it is stuck in a warehouse.
British Dictionary definitions for warehouse

warehouse

noun (ˈwɛəˌhaʊs)
1.
a place where goods are stored prior to their use, distribution, or sale
2.
See bonded warehouse
3.
(mainly Brit) a large commercial, esp wholesale, establishment
verb (ˈwɛəˌhaʊz; -ˌhaʊs)
4.
(transitive) to store or place in a warehouse, esp a bonded warehouse
Word Origin and History for warehouse
n.

mid-14c., from ware (n.) + house. Cf. Dutch warenhuis, German warenhaus. Meaning "large impersonal institution" is American English colloquial, first attested 1970.

v.

1799, from warehouse (n.). In the colloquial sense from 1972. Related: Warehoused; warehousing.

Slang definitions & phrases for warehouse

warehouse

noun

Any large, impersonal institution: a warehouse for the elds (1970+)