cache

cache — noun

1. a collection of valuable or dangerous things — for example weapons, drugs, food,

1.nounC1
Definition

a collection of valuable or dangerous things — for example weapons, drugs, food, or money — that someone has put in a secret place so others cannot find it; also the place itself.

Example

Police found a cache of stolen jewellery under the floorboards of Marcus's flat.

a cache of + noun (illegal goods)

The old farmer kept a small cache of silver coins buried beneath the apple tree.

cache of + valuables

Common collocations
  • weapons cache
  • arms cache
  • secret cache
  • buried cache
  • discover a cache
  • uncover a cache
Synonyms
  • stash

    informal, often illegal goods or personal supplies

  • hoard

    implies a large amount kept selfishly over time

  • stockpile

    open or official store, not necessarily hidden

Grammar Patterns

a cache of + noun

cache of weapons / drugs / coins

Usage Note

Subject of the verb is usually a person who searches or uncovers (police, soldiers, hikers); the cache itself is the object being found, hidden, or buried. Often modified by what is stored: 'arms cache', 'food cache', 'cache of letters'.

Common Mistakes

I have a cache of friends in Tokyo.
I have a circle of friends in Tokyo.
'cache' is for hidden objects, not people or relationships.
She caches her old photos in a box.' (when meaning a noun store)
She has a cache of old photos in a box.
to mean the store, use the noun, not the verb.

2. a small, fast section of computer memory that holds copies of files or data the

2.nounC1
Definition

a small, fast section of computer memory that holds copies of files or data the machine has just used, so the same files can be opened again much faster than reading them from the disk or the internet.

Example

If a webpage loads strangely, try clearing your browser cache and refreshing the tab.

collocation: clear the cache

Maya emptied the app cache on her phone to free up nearly two gigabytes of space.

compound: app cache

Common collocations
  • browser cache
  • app cache
  • cache memory
  • clear the cache
  • empty the cache
  • cache server
Synonyms
  • buffer

    temporary storage that smooths data flow, often for streams

  • cache memory

    more technical full term used in hardware contexts

Grammar Patterns

clear the cache

browser cache

cache memory

Usage Note

Often appears in compounds: 'browser cache', 'app cache', 'cache memory', 'cache server'. Common verbs are 'clear', 'empty', 'flush', 'check', and 'update'. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense never refers to physical objects.

Common Mistakes

I deleted my browser's cash.
I deleted my browser's cache.
'cache' (computer memory) is spelled with -che, not 'cash' (money).
The cache stores my password forever.
The cache stores my password until I clear it.
caches hold data temporarily, not permanently.

cache — verb

Word family

  • cached
    adjectiveC1
  • caching
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe a quantity of things kept together, but they differ in tone and purpose. A 'cache' is hidden on purpose and often holds valuable, dangerous, or strategic items — a cache of weapons, coins, or documents. 'Stash' is its informal cousin: a stash of candy, a stash of cash under the mattress, frequently small and personal. 'Hoard' carries a negative flavour, suggesting someone has greedily kept far more than they need over a long time, as in 'a dragon's hoard of gold'. 'Stockpile' is open and official, used for supplies a country, company, or household has built up against future need — a stockpile of vaccines, fuel, or canned food. Use 'cache' when secrecy and a discrete location both matter; otherwise reach for one of the others.

cache ↗stash ↗hoardstockpile ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • weapons cache
  • arms cache
  • food cache
  • browser cache
  • cache memory
  • cache server
  • cache layer

Adverbs

Phrases

  • clear the cache
  • empty the cache
  • discover a cache
  • uncover a cache
  • a hidden cache

Prepositions

  • of (a cache of weapons)
  • in (cached in memory)
  • under (cached under a rock)
  • by (cached by the browser)

Etymology

FrenchEnglish

Cache entered English in the late 1700s from French 'cache', a noun coming from the verb 'cacher' meaning to hide. French fur traders and explorers in North America used it for the holes in which they hid pelts and supplies along their routes. The computing sense — a fast memory that hides data near the processor — was coined in the 1960s and follows the same idea: something tucked out of sight but ready when needed.