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 used in plural
reading through the archives
2
: a repository or collection especially of information
archived; archiving
: to file or collect in or as if in an archive
archive documents
archived tissue samples
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
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 16 Mar. 2025
What is the Institute of Museum and Library Services?
Through grants, research and policy development, the Institute of Museum and Library Services supports museums, libraries, archives and other similar organizations through the United States.
—Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2025
Renaud Philippe, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2025
In the news recently, more evidence came out about the Tulsa Race Massacre and Miller understands the importance of properly archiving history for the generations to come.
—Essence, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for archive
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Noun
Museum of the Night by Fermín Eloy Acosta Reasoning: For the intensive research into a largely unknown archive and the attempt to create a visual language that corresponds to the subject matter.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 16 Mar. 2025
What is the Institute of Museum and Library Services?
Through grants, research and policy development, the Institute of Museum and Library Services supports museums, libraries, archives and other similar organizations through the United States.
—Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2025
Verb
The dresses in her closet were methodically arranged and archived with photos on her smartphone.
—Renaud Philippe, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2025
In the news recently, more evidence came out about the Tulsa Race Massacre and Miller understands the importance of properly archiving history for the generations to come.
—Essence, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for archive
Articles Related to archive
Cite this Entry
“Archive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archive. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
archive
1 of 2 noun
ar·chive
ˈär-ˌkīv 
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: a place in which public records or historical documents are preserved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
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