storerooms

IPA/ˈstɔː.ruːm/
IPA/ˈstɔːr.ruːm/

storerooms — noun

  • storeroomssingular
  • storeroomsesplural

1. a room or separate area inside a building where items that are not needed every

1.nounB1
Definition

a room or separate area inside a building where items that are not needed every day are kept until someone wants to use them later

Example

The school had two large storerooms full of old desks and chairs that nobody used anymore.

countable noun with 'full of' for contents

Cleaners put the extra mops, buckets, and cleaning supplies away in the basement storerooms.

concrete examples of stored items: cleaning supplies

Common collocations
  • locked storerooms
  • basement storerooms
  • storerooms full of
  • storeroom for supplies
Synonyms
  • storehouse

    usually a separate building rather than a room inside one

  • warehouse

    much larger, often a whole building for commercial storage

  • stockroom

    specifically for items sold in a shop or used in a business

Grammar Patterns

storeroom + for [noun phrase]

storeroom + of [noun phrase]

Usage Note

Storeroom often refers to a room in a business, school, or public building, rather than in a private home. For home storage, terms like 'cupboard', 'pantry', or 'attic' are more common.

Common Mistakes

I put the towels in the storeroom.' (in a home context)
I put the towels in the linen cupboard.
'storeroom' sounds overly formal or institutional for household storage.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Storeroom, storehouse, warehouse, and stockroom all refer to places where things are kept, but they differ in size and setting. A storeroom is typically a room within a building, used in schools, restaurants, or offices for items not needed daily. A storehouse is usually a separate, smaller building, sometimes used on farms or for equipment. A warehouse is a large, commercial building where companies keep goods before selling them — it is often the size of several houses. A stockroom is found in a shop or workplace and holds items that are regularly taken out for use or sale. For example: 'The janitor unlocked the basement storeroom to get more paper towels.' 'The farm's stone storehouse kept the grain dry.' 'The toy warehouse shipped boxes to stores across the country.' 'The cashier went to the stockroom for more batteries.'

storeroom ↗storehouse ↗warehouse ↗stockroom

Common collocations

Nouns

  • basement storerooms
  • locked storerooms
  • classroom storerooms

Phrases

  • storerooms full of
  • storeroom for supplies

Prepositions

  • in storerooms
  • into storerooms
  • from storerooms

Etymology

Old FrenchOld EnglishEnglish

A compound of 'store' (from Old French 'estore', meaning a supply or stock of goods) and 'room' (from Old English 'rum', meaning space or chamber). The word has been used since the 1600s for a room where supplies are stored.

First known use

1685

1685, in the meaning defined at sense 1