warehouse
/ˈweəhaʊs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈwerhaʊs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈwer-ˌhau̇s/ (ame, mw) · /ˈweə.haʊz/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈwer.haʊz/ (ame, ipa)
warehouse — noun
- warehousesingular
- warehousesplural
1. A large building or covered space where goods and products are kept before being
A large building or covered space where goods and products are kept before being sold, moved to shops, or used in manufacturing.
The company rented a warehouse near the port to store furniture before shipping it overseas.
collocation: warehouse near [location]
Workers moved thousands of boxes into the warehouse before the winter storm arrived.
count noun: a warehouse / the warehouse
The old textile warehouse was converted into artist studios and coffee shops.
Rania checked the warehouse inventory log to find out which boxes had arrived last week.
- storehouse
slightly more old-fashioned; can be used for non-commercial storage such as grain or tools
- depot
often implies a distribution centre where goods arrive and depart; more institutional than warehouse
- storage facility
a broader, more neutral term that can include indoor and outdoor storage spaces
文法句型
a/the warehouse
in a warehouse
用法筆記
This is the most common meaning of warehouse, referring to a physical storage building often found near ports, airports, or industrial areas.
2. A very large shop that sells a wide range of goods at low prices, usually with a
A very large shop that sells a wide range of goods at low prices, usually with a simple layout where customers serve themselves.
Rachid bought his garden tools at a furniture warehouse because the prices were much lower.
collocation: at a [type] warehouse
The warehouse sells office chairs and desks at half the price of regular shops.
Joon found a good deal on a washing machine at the home-improvement warehouse near his home.
Ramón and his wife bought all their kitchen supplies at a discount warehouse in the city centre.
- big-box store
a North American term for a large chain store such as Costco or Walmart; more specific than warehouse
- outlet store
typically sells goods directly from the manufacturer at reduced prices, often in a separate building
文法句型
a/the warehouse
at a warehouse
3. A disapproving label for a facility such as a prison or hospital that holds many
A disapproving label for a facility such as a prison or hospital that holds many people yet offers them hardly any personal attention, therapy, or real assistance.
Critics described the overcrowded prison as a warehouse where inmates received no education or therapy.
metaphorical: a warehouse for [people]
That nursing home was a warehouse for the elderly, with few activities and little medical care.
Kabir wrote an article criticising the state for using orphanages as warehouses for abandoned children.
After visiting the facility, the inspector said it was a human warehouse with no rehabilitation programmes.
- holding facility
less emotional; used for temporary detention rather than long-term warehousing
- dumping ground
even more critical, suggesting society abandons unwanted people in a place
文法句型
a warehouse for [people]
用法筆記
Always critical or disapproving. This sense compares an institution to a storage building, implying that the people inside are treated like objects rather than receiving proper care.
常見錯誤
warehouse — verb
- warehousepresent simple I / you / we / they
- warehouses3rd person singular
- warehousing-ing form
- warehousedpast simple
1. To place and keep goods or products in a storage building for later sale, distri
To place and keep goods or products in a storage building for later sale, distribution, or use.
Eitan's company warehouses electronic components in a climate-controlled facility near the airport.
warehouse + object: electronic components are stored
The farm cooperative warehouses its grain harvest until market prices rise.
Old furniture was warehoused in a dusty basement for years before the family cleared it out.
Christopher's job involves warehousing medical supplies for hospitals across the region.
- ship
to send goods out rather than keep them in storage
文法句型
warehouse [goods]
be warehoused in [place]
用法筆記
Usually found in business or logistics contexts. The passive form ('be warehoused') is common when describing where goods end up.
常見錯誤
2. To place people in a prison, hospital, or other institution for a long time with
To place people in a prison, hospital, or other institution for a long time without providing them with proper care, education, or support, treating them more like objects than individuals.
The state was accused of warehousing juvenile offenders in run-down facilities without schooling or counselling.
warehousing + people + in [location]: derogatory
For decades, patients with mental illnesses were warehoused in large hospitals with almost no treatment.
Dewi's documentary showed elderly people warehoused in homes with only one nurse for sixty residents.
Rachel argued that the detention centre warehouses people instead of processing their cases fairly.
- confine
neutral — simply means to keep someone within limits; lacks the moral criticism of 'warehouse'
- institutionalise
more formal; can be neutral or critical depending on context
- rehabilitate
to help someone recover and return to normal life, the opposite of warehousing without care
文法句型
be warehoused in [institution]
warehouse [people] in [place]
用法筆記
Always carries strong criticism. The image is of people being stored like goods, pushed out of sight and given insufficient care. Common in news reports about failing prisons or care homes.