archive

1 of 2

noun

ar·​chive ˈär-ˌkīv How to pronounce archive (audio)
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

archive

2 of 2

verb

archived; archiving

transitive verb

: to file or collect in or as if in an archive
archive documents
archived tissue samples

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Here’s a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on April 20, according to the Tribune’s archives. Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2025 Brand consistency is another major benefit of building your own video archive. Marcus Squier, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Verb
Her dental records did not match with any those archived in a missing and unidentified persons database, the Sheriff’s Office said. Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 17 Apr. 2025 Advanced data management solutions allow organizations to automate these processes, providing real-time insights into data usage patterns that help distinguish between mission-critical information and content that can be safely archived or deleted. Carl D'halluin, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for archive

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

French & Latin; French, from Latin archivum, from Greek archeion government house (in plural, official documents), from archē rule, government — more at arch-

First Known Use

Noun

1603, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1831, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of archive was in 1603

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Archive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archive. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

archive

1 of 2 noun
ar·​chive ˈär-ˌkīv How to pronounce archive (audio)
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: a place in which public records or historical documents are preserved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

More from Merriam-Webster on archive

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