geocache

geocache — noun

IPA/ˈdʒiːəʊkæʃ/
IPA/ˈdʒiːəʊkæʃ/
  • geocachesingular
  • geocachesplural

1. a small box or other container, hidden outdoors at a known location, that people

1.nounC1
Definition

a small box or other container, hidden outdoors at a known location, that people search for as a hobby using GPS coordinates shared online, often holding a logbook and tiny trinkets to swap.

Example

Sayaka found her first geocache tucked under a flat rock near the river path.

common pattern: find a geocache + location phrase

The geocache contained a small notebook, a plastic dinosaur, and a marble.

typical contents listed as concrete objects

Common collocations
  • find a geocache
  • hide a geocache
  • place a geocache
  • log a geocache
Synonyms
  • cache

    general term for a hidden store of items; "geocache" specifies the GPS-based hobby

  • treasure box

    informal and playful; lacks the GPS coordinate convention

Grammar Patterns

a geocache

find a geocache

Usage Note

Often counted with a number or premodifier ("a hidden geocache", "three geocaches"). The hobby itself is the noun "geocaching"; an individual hiding spot or container is the geocache.

Common Mistakes

I did a geocache in the park.
I found a geocache in the park.
the noun names the container or location, not the activity; use the verb "geocache" or the noun "geocaching" for the activity.

geocache — verb

IPA/ˈdʒiː.əʊ.kæʃ/
IPA/ˈdʒiː.oʊ.kæʃ/

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe a hidden store of items, but each carries a distinct flavour. "Geocache" is the most specific: it names a container hidden as part of the GPS-based hobby geocaching, registered online by coordinates, and usually small enough to hold a notebook and trinkets. "Cache" is the general parent term, used in military, archaeological, or everyday contexts for any hidden supply ("a cache of weapons", "a cache of letters"). "Stash" is informal and often slightly secretive, suggesting personal hidden goods ("a stash of chocolate"). "Treasure box" is playful and child-friendly, evoking pirate stories rather than GPS coordinates. So a geocacher would talk about hiding a geocache, the police might find a cache of stolen goods, a child might guard a stash of candy, and a story might describe a buried treasure box on an island.

geocache ↗cache ↗stash ↗treasure box

Common collocations

Nouns

  • geocache container
  • geocache coordinates
  • geocache log

Phrases

  • hide a geocache
  • find a geocache
  • go geocaching

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekFrenchEnglish

Coined around 2000, soon after the United States allowed civilian GPS receivers to access full satellite accuracy. The word joins the prefix "geo-" (from Greek, meaning earth or location) with the older English noun "cache" (from French "cacher", to hide). The hobby itself, geocaching, took its name from this compound and grew rapidly through online communities sharing coordinates.