cellar

cellar — noun

1. a room built partly or completely below ground level, under a house or other bui

1.nounB2
Definition

a room built partly or completely below ground level, under a house or other building, where people keep items such as old furniture, tools, or food supplies

Example

Old boxes of tools and jars of jam filled every shelf in the cellar.

countable noun with prepositional phrase describing contents

The Watanabe family stored winter vegetables in their cellar to keep them fresh.

use + location: stored [something] in [their] cellar

Common collocations
  • damp cellar
  • dark cellar
  • cellar steps
  • cellar floor
  • go down to the cellar
  • keep something in the cellar
  • store something in the cellar
Synonyms
  • basement

    more general; a finished underground floor that may contain living spaces, laundry, or storage

  • vault

    a strong underground room for keeping valuable items safe; often made of stone or concrete

Antonyms
  • attic

    the highest room in a building, just below the roof

Usage Note

Countable. A cellar is typically smaller and older than a basement, and was often built for food storage rather than as living space. In US English 'basement' is more common for any underground floor of a house.

Common Mistakes

I keep my bike in the cellar' (if it is a finished living area).
I keep my bike in the basement.
In modern usage, 'basement' is the general term for a full underground floor, while 'cellar' often suggests an old, dark storage space.

2. a special underground or temperature-controlled room where bottles of wine are k

2.noun
Definition

a special underground or temperature-controlled room where bottles of wine are kept for aging and serving; also the collection of wines kept in such a room — for example, a restaurant with a fine cellar of French reds and whites

Example

The restaurant's cellar holds over two thousand bottles of wine.

possessive: [person/institution]'s cellar

Ravi bought a small wine cellar for his apartment to keep his favourite vintages cool.

countable: a [size/shape] wine cellar

Common collocations
  • wine cellar
  • well-stocked cellar
  • cellar full of wine
  • lay down wine in the cellar
  • a good/splendid/fine cellar
  • cellar door
  • cellar master
Synonyms
  • wine cellar

    a more specific term for a cellar used just for wine, or a temperature-controlled wine cabinet

  • wine rack

    a simple stand or rack that holds bottles at room temperature; not a climate-controlled space

Usage Note

When used as an uncountable noun ('a good cellar', 'a fine cellar'), it refers to the collection or stock of wines a person or business owns, not the physical room. As a countable noun, it can mean either the physical storage space or a specially designed wine cabinet for home use.

Common Mistakes

We have an excellent cellar of cheeses.
We have an excellent cellar of wines.
'Cellar' meaning 'collection' is used almost exclusively for wine, not for other foods or drinks.

Word family

  • cellarer
    nounC2
  • cellarage
    nounC2
  • cellarful
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four words all refer to spaces below ground level, but they differ in purpose and form. A 'cellar' is usually an older, unfinished underground room used for storing food, fuel, or household items — it is often dark, cool, and accessed by stone steps. A 'basement' is a broader term for any full underground floor of a building, often finished into living space, a laundry room, or a home gym. 'Vault' suggests a secure, often reinforced room, typically made of stone or concrete, used for storing money, jewels, or important documents. 'Crawl space' is a very low, narrow area under a house that you cannot stand up in, used only for accessing pipes or wiring — never for storage. For example: 'Grandma's preserves are kept in the cellar,' but 'The family watches movies in the finished basement.' A home wine collection might be kept in a 'cellar' (the room) whereas a bank keeps valuables in a 'vault.'

cellarbasementvaultcrawl space

Common collocations

Nouns

  • cellar door
  • cellar floor
  • cellar steps
  • cellar ceiling

Phrases

  • store something in the cellar
  • keep something in the cellar
  • go down to the cellar
  • a cellar full of something

Prepositions

  • in the cellar
  • into the cellar
  • down to the cellar

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'cellar' comes from the Latin 'cellarium,' meaning a storeroom or pantry, which itself comes from 'cella' meaning a small room or chamber. It passed into Old French as 'celler' and then into Middle English, where it took on the specific meaning of an underground storage room. The wine-related sense developed naturally as people began keeping wine in cool underground spaces.