storage
noun
What storage means
The space on a device or online where files, photos and apps are kept.
My phone has almost no storage left.
You can buy extra cloud storage for photos.
Test yourself
Five questions about storage
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Question 1 of 5Meaning
What does storage mean?
Storage is the room a phone, computer or online service has for keeping your things, such as photos, videos and apps. When it is full, you cannot save more.
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Question 2 of 5Situation
Your phone says you cannot take any more photos until you delete some old videos. It is running out of…
Photos and videos are kept in the space on your phone, which is its storage. Bandwidth is about how much data a connection can carry, not how much you can save.
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Question 3 of 5Gap
I moved all my old photos to the cloud to free up some ___ on my laptop.
Moving photos to the cloud gives your laptop more empty space for files, and that space is called storage. Privacy and software have nothing to do with free space.
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Question 4 of 5Similar word
Which word is closest in meaning to storage?
On a phone, storage is the space for your files, so a phone with no storage left has no space left. Speed and security are different things.
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Question 5 of 5Correct use
Which sentence uses storage correctly?
Storage is uncountable, so it has no plural and no a, and we use enough or much with it, not many.
Keys 1 to 4 pick an answer, Enter goes on.
Storage in a sentence
5 more examples of storage in everyday situations.
- On your phone
I deleted some old videos to free up storage for the trip.
- Buying a laptop
This laptop comes with 512 GB of storage, which is plenty for most people.
- At work
We keep all our files in cloud storage so everyone can open them.
- A warning
Your storage is almost full, so new photos will not be saved.
- A message
Can you send a smaller file? I’m out of storage.
How to use storage
Storage is uncountable. A phone with 128 GB of storage can keep more than one with 64 GB. Memory (RAM) is different: it is used while the device is running.
Storage also means keeping things in a physical place: a storage room.
Forms
- no pluraluncountable noun
- storerelated verb
Patterns
- free up storage
- run out of storage
- 64 / 128 GB of storage
- cloud storage
Common mistakes with storage
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NotMy phone has not enough storages.
SayMy phone doesn’t have enough storage.
Storage is uncountable, so it has no plural form, and the usual negative is doesn’t have enough.
Storage or memory or space?
- storage or memory
- Storage keeps your files even when the device is off; memory, or RAM, is used only while the device is running. People often say memory for both, but storage is more accurate for files.
- storage or space
- Space is the everyday word: “I have no space left.” Storage is a little more technical and appears in device details and settings.
Storage is a B2 word. Is that your level? Take the level test or count the words you know.
Storage word family and collocations
The words that go with storage, so you can use it in a whole phrase.
Common collocations
- cloud storage
- free up storage
- low on storage
- storage space
- storage full
Word family
- storage (noun)
- store (verb, noun)
Similar words
- space
Questions about storage
Is storage countable?
No, storage is uncountable in this meaning. Say “a lot of storage” or “not enough storage”, never “storages”.
What does free up storage mean?
It means deleting or moving files, photos or apps so that there is more empty space on your device.
What is cloud storage?
Cloud storage is space on a company’s computers that you reach over the internet. You can keep files there and open them from any of your devices.
The word before
Do you still remember accommodation?
One question about the word from 19 October. Remembering a word a day later helps it stay.
One question
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What does accommodation mean?
Accommodation is somewhere you sleep and stay during a trip, for example a hotel room, a bed in a hostel or a rented flat.
Keys 1 to 4 pick an answer.
More tech words
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C1
verify
To check that something is true or correct, for example your identity or an email address. -
B2
settings
The options on a phone, app or computer that let you choose how it works. -
B2
glitch
A small fault that stops something, usually a machine or an app, from working properly for a short time. -
B1
update
A new version of a program or app that fixes problems or adds small improvements. -
C1
automate
To make a machine or program do a job by itself, without a person. -
B2
buffering
The short stops in a video or song while your device waits for more data to load.