archive

1 of 2

noun

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

Synonyms of archive

Relevance

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
Texas Longhorns' Bevo charges Georgia Bulldogs' Uga Looking through the archives of the College Football Hall of Fame, several moments come to mind. — Maddie Rhodes, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 Noguchi’s online archive states that Shinto was destroyed in 1980. — News Desk, Artforum, 27 Aug. 2026
Verb
Not only the children at the edge of the photo, which was archived in the Library of Congress, but also Stacy’s own children. — Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2026 The traditional public library model many of us grew up with has changed as patrons delve into all sorts of offerings currently archived on and off shelves. — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026 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

Rhymes for archive

See All Rhymes for archive

Browse Nearby Words

archivalia
archive
archived
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Archive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archive. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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