Definition of CACHE (original) (raw)
1
a
: a hiding place especially for concealing and preserving provisions or implements
b
: a secure place of storage
discovered a cache of weapons
2
: something hidden or stored in a cache
The cache consisted of documents and private letters.
3
: a computer memory with very short access time used for storage of frequently or recently used instructions or data
called also cache memory
: to place (something) in a cache: such as
a
: to place or store (something) in a hidden or secure place for safety or concealment
cache camp supplies by a lake
b
computers : to place (instructions or data) in cache memory for temporary storage
caching websites to speed up future retrieval
Did you know?
Cache and cash are homophones (words that are pronounced alike but have different meanings, origins, or spelling) whose likeness in sound may lead to perplexity.
Cache primarily refers to a thing that is hidden or stored somewhere, or to the place where it is hidden. It has recently taken on another common meaning, “short-term computer memory where information is stored for easy retrieval.” Cash, on the other hand, is most often used in the sense “ready money.”
If you find yourself confused by these words, remember that you can store cash in a cache, but you can't do the reverse. Be mindful, too, that if you run out of cash you won't be able to buy something, but if you're short on cache, your computer won’t work.
Synonyms
Examples of cache in a Sentence
Noun
a weapons cache used by terrorists Police found a cache of stolen cars in the woods. Her new laptop has one megabyte of cache. Verb
an eccentric who cached money in odd places, such as under the boards of the floor cached the fugitives in their cellar until they could make their way to Canada
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.
This story, built on interviews and a new cache of internal documents obtained by ProPublica, details for the first time the sophisticated and invasive nature of the gun industry’s electioneering. —
Corey G. Johnson, ProPublica, 5 Feb. 2025 Two metal detectorists stumbled across a cache of coins dating back to Biblical times in a one-of-a-kind discovery, according to European officials. —Andrea Margolis, Fox News, 4 Feb. 2025
This may involve techniques such as caching frequently used data, parallelizing computations or employing more efficient data structures. —Chandra Kuchi, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025 Ten of those tubes have been cached on the planet’s surface as a backup in the event Perseverance breaks down and can’t travel to a retrieval lander. —Lee Billings, Scientific American, 8 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for cache 
Word History
Etymology
Noun
borrowed from North American French, from French, "hiding place," noun derivative of cacher "to hide, conceal," going back to Old French cachier, quaichier "to put away, lock up, cover, remove from view, conceal" (also Middle French cacher "to press, crush"), going back to Vulgar Latin *coācticāre "to press, constrict," from Latin coāctāre "to compel" (frequentative of cōgere "to drive together, collect, compress, compel") + -icāre, verb formative — more at cogent
Note: The etymological sense "to compress, constrict" is not attested for the Old French verb, though it likely existed and is apparent in the prefixed form escachier "to crush and flatten, break by pressing or falling on." From the sense "compress" presumably developed the senses "lock up, cover, put away," and hence "remove from view, conceal," common from the sixteenth century. The sense "to press, crush" is marginally evident in Middle French in areas in contact with Occitan, though it penetrated widely enough to form the basis for the derivative cachet "seal" (see cachet).
Verb
verbal derivative of cache entry 1
First Known Use
Noun
1797, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
1805, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of cache was in 1797
Dictionary Entries Near cache
Cite this Entry
“Cache.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cache. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.
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Last Updated: 10 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences
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