inventory

1 of 2

noun

in·​ven·​to·​ry ˈin-vən-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce inventory (audio)
plural inventories
1
a
: an itemized list of current assets: such as
(1)
: a list of goods on hand
(2)
: a catalog of the property of an individual or estate
b
: a list of traits, preferences, attitudes, interests, or abilities used to evaluate personal characteristics or skills
c
: a survey of natural resources
2
: the quantity of goods or materials on hand : stock
3
: the act or process of taking an inventory
4
inventorial adjective
inventorially adverb

inventory

2 of 2

verb

inventoried; inventorying

transitive verb

: to make an inventory of : catalog

Examples of inventory in a Sentence

Noun We made an inventory of the library's collection. The dealer keeps a large inventory of used cars and trucks. Inventories at both stores were low. How can a small business afford to keep so much inventory? We'll be doing inventory on the collection soon. Verb We'll be inventorying the collection soon. would you inventory the supplies in the back room?
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Bottom line Yes, California’s home sales last year suffered from few owners willing to sell as auto dealers had their first decent inventory since the coronavirus broke the supply chain. Jonathan Lansner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2024 Many real estate agents already were struggling to get by in a housing market plagued by high prices and low inventory. Rachel Lerman, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024 Clearly, Apple is looking to move inventory of its old hardware to make room for its new offerings. Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 16 Mar. 2024 By 2019, Abercrombie had completely overhauled its inventory and expanded its sizes. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2024 Police noted that all of the items should have been placed in West Allis police inventory upon their initial recovery by Hartmann and not kept in his personal possession. Adrienne Davis, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024 The government had $34 billion of surplus material at the end of the war and sold it in large lots at auctions, where would-be store owners could buy a whole shop’s worth of inventory. Charles W. McFarlane, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Real estate agents predict that inventory will increase this spring. Kate Talerico, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024 These items somehow turn up in the inventory system and then are sent back to customers. Anne D'innocenzio, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024
Verb
Early efforts intensified after the 1989 passage of the National Museum of the American Indian Act, which requires the Smithsonian to inventory its Native American human remains and repatriate them upon request. Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Feb. 2024 The Post did not inventory all of the files: Some could not be found, and The Post did not review about 300 created after 1958 that are stored at the Natural History Museum. Nicole Dungca, Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2023 They are trusted to accurately inventory all valuables in their court report. Mary Jordan, Washington Post, 4 Nov. 2023 When operational, the Rubin Observatory will help astronomers inventory the solar system, map the Milky Way, and shed light on dark matter and dark energy. IEEE Spectrum, 1 Jan. 2024 One by one, family members and friends speak this line to Vanya before inventorying their own monumental unhappiness. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2023 In 1998, Karen Mudar was told by her boss at the Smithsonian Institution to inventory the human brains that one of its anthropologists had amassed in the early 20th century. Claire Healy, Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2023 The law initially required institutions to inventory the human remains and belongings of Native American ancestors and burial items and identify those that might be repatriated. Mary Hudetz, ProPublica, 8 Dec. 2023 Djuna would see right to their core, inventory their paltry souls, and make these findings known. Emma Cline, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inventory.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English inventarie, inventorie, from Anglo-French inventaire, inventorie, from Latin inventarium, from inventum thing found, topic, neuter of inventus

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1602, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of inventory was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near inventory

Cite this Entry

“Inventory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inventory. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

inventory

1 of 2 noun
in·​ven·​to·​ry ˈin-vən-ˌtōr-ē How to pronounce inventory (audio)
-ˌtȯr-
plural inventories
1
: a complete list of items (as of goods on hand)
2
: the stock of goods on hand
3
: the act or process of making an inventory

inventory

2 of 2 verb
inventoried; inventorying
: to make an inventory of

Medical Definition

inventory

noun
in·​ven·​to·​ry ˈin-vən-ˌtōr-ē, -ˌtȯr- How to pronounce inventory (audio)
plural inventories
1
: a questionnaire designed to provide an index of individual interests or personality traits
2
: a list of traits, preferences, attitudes, interests, or abilities that is used in evaluating personal characteristics or skills

Legal Definition

inventory

noun
in·​ven·​to·​ry ˈin-vən-ˌtōr-ē How to pronounce inventory (audio)
plural inventories
1
: an itemized list of current assets: as
a
: a written list or catalog of the property of an individual, organization, or estate or succession that is made by a fiduciary under oath and that usually describes and assigns a value to the items or classes of property
b
: aggregate value assigned to an inventory
2
: goods or materials held on hand: as
a
under the Bankruptcy Code : materials including personal property leased or furnished, held for sale or lease, or to be furnished under a contract for service, raw materials, work in process, or materials used or consumed in a business held for sale or lease
b
under section 9-109 of the Uniform Commercial Code : goods that are leased by a person as lessor, that are held by a person for sale or lease or to be furnished under a contract of service or are furnished under a contract of service, or that are raw materials, works in process, or materials used or consumed in a business

More from Merriam-Webster on inventory

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