treasury

noun

trea·​sury ˈtre-zh(ə-)rē 

ˈtrā-

plural treasuries

1

a

: a place in which stores of wealth are kept

b

: the place of deposit and disbursement of collected funds

especially : one where public revenues are deposited, kept, and disbursed

c

: funds kept in such a depository

2

Treasury

a

: a governmental department in charge of finances and especially the collection, management, and expenditure of public revenues

b

: the building in which the business of such a governmental department is transacted

3

Treasury plural also Treasurys : a government security (such as a note or bill) issued by the Treasury

4

: a repository for treasures

a treasury of poems

5

obsolete : treasure

Examples of treasury in a Sentence

A government official has been accused of stealing from the nation's treasury.

The fees are deposited into the state's treasury.

A part of the nation's treasury is spent on space exploration.

The author has collected a treasury of facts and lore about horses.

Recent Examples on the Web

In his first mission as 007, Bond engages in a high-stakes poker game with bankrupt terrorist Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) but falls tragically in love with Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), the British treasury agent bankrolling his game. —Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Mar. 2026

Neither coin has been approved by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Council, a nonpartisan group created by Congress to advise the treasury on coin design. —George Petras, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026

But today, as bitcoin's price struggles for a sixth consecutive month, corporate treasury bitcoin buying has almost completely disappeared for all but Strategy itself, according to crypto data provider CryptoQuant. —Tanaya MacHeel, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026

In the ’90s, eBay was a treasury. —Laura Brown, Artforum, 25 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tresorie, from Anglo-French, from tresor treasure

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing treasury

• sub-treasury
• treasury note
• treasury of merits
• treasury stock

Kids Definition

treasury

noun

trea·​sury ˈtrezh-(ə-)rē 

ˈtrāzh-

plural treasuries

1

a

: a place in which stores of wealth are kept

b

: the place where collected funds are stored and paid out

2

capitalized : a government department in charge of finances

Legal Definition

treasury

noun

trea·​sury ˈtre-zhə-rē, ˈtrā- 

plural treasuries

1

a

: a place in which stores of wealth are kept

b

: the place of deposit and disbursement of collected funds

especially : one where public revenues are deposited, kept, and disbursed

c

: funds kept in such a depository

2

capitalized

a

: a governmental department in charge of finances and especially the collection, management, and expenditure of public revenues

b

: the building in which the business of such a governmental department is transacted

3

capitalized : a government security (as a note or bill) issued by the Treasury