1
: a place in which public records or historical materials (such as documents) are preserved
an archive of historical manuscripts
a film archive
also
: the material preserved
—often used in plural
reading through the archives
2
: a repository or collection especially of information
archived; archiving
: to file or collect in or as if in an archive
archive documents
archived tissue samples
Synonyms
Examples of archive in a Sentence
Verb
The organization was devoted to cataloging and archiving printed materials on the labor movement.
She archived her e-mail messages in a folder on her hard drive.
a collection of archived articles
Recent Examples on the Web
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
The claim: Benjamin Netanyahu diagnosed with 'Grade 3' prostate cancer
A Dec. 29 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a woman speaking over a screenshot of an X post that claims to share news about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
—Andre Byik, USA TODAY, 1 Jan. 2025
Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024
Here's how to check if your message was archived within Google Messages.
—Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for archive 
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Noun
Share Cover design by Tina Smith Microfiche From the Archive
Timeless stories from our 174-year archive handpicked to speak to the news of the day.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
The claim: Benjamin Netanyahu diagnosed with 'Grade 3' prostate cancer
A Dec. 29 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a woman speaking over a screenshot of an X post that claims to share news about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
—Andre Byik, USA TODAY, 1 Jan. 2025
Verb
We’re honored to tell the stories of our community and archive the voices of Los Angeles and beyond.
—Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024
Here's how to check if your message was archived within Google Messages.
—Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for archive
Articles Related to archive
Dictionary Entries Near archive
Cite this Entry
“Archive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archive. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
archive
1 of 2 noun
ar·chive
ˈär-ˌkīv 
1
: a place in which public records or historical documents are preserved
also
: the material preserved
—usually used in plural
2
: a collection of information
archive
2 of 2 verb
archived; archiving
: to file or collect in or as if in an archive
was archiving documents
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