depot

noun

de·​pot
senses 1 and 2 are
ˈde-(ˌ)pō How to pronounce depot (audio)
also
ˈdē- How to pronounce depot (audio)
sense 3 is
ˈdē- How to pronounce depot (audio)
sometimes
ˈde- How to pronounce depot (audio)
Synonyms of depot
1
a
: a place for storing goods or motor vehicles
b
: store, cache
a fat depot in the body
2
a
: a place for the storage of military supplies
b
: a place for the reception and forwarding of military replacements
3
: a building for railroad or bus passengers or freight

Synonyms of depot

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of depot in a Sentence

a distribution depot for auto parts the guns and ammunition were stored in a depot in Concord
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.
Saudi Arabia launched strikes on an oil depot on the outskirts of Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Tuesday, as the tit-for-tat attacks escalated. — Olivia-Anne Cleary, Time, 15 Oct. 2026 SpaceX has moved propellant between tanks in one Ship before, but its architecture requires numerous transfers involving tanker ships to refill a fuel depot, which a Ship must visit in order to make journeys to the moon or Mars. — Andrew Jones, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2026 Ukraine has hit back at Russia by launching long-range drones and missiles at oil refineries and storage depots. — Samya Kullab, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026 Earlier this year, Santa Monica engaged in a legal battle with Waymo over the company’s noisy, disruptive charging depots. — Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for depot

Word History

Etymology

French dépôt, from Middle French depost, from Medieval Latin depositum, from Latin, neuter of depositus

First Known Use

1795, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of depot was in 1795

Phrases Containing depot

Rhymes for depot

See All Rhymes for depot

Browse Nearby Words

depositum miserabile
depot
depot ship
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Depot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depot. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

depot

noun
de·​pot
senses 1 & 2 are
ˈdep-ˌō How to pronounce depot (audio)
also
ˈdē-ˌpō How to pronounce depot (audio)
sense 3 is ˈdē-ˌpō
sometimes ˈdep-ˌō
1
: a place of deposit for goods : storehouse
2
: a place where military supplies are kept or where troops are assembled and trained
3
: a building for railroad or bus passengers or freight : station

Medical Definition

depot

1 of 2 noun
de·​pot ˈdep-(ˌ)ō How to pronounce depot (audio) ˈdēp- How to pronounce depot (audio)
: a bodily location where a substance is stored usually for later utilization
fat depots as a source of energy

depot

2 of 2 adjective
: being in storage
depot fat
also : acting over a prolonged period
depot insulin
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All