depot

depot — noun

1. a large building or group of buildings used for holding supplies, parking vehicl

1.nounB2
Definition

a large building or group of buildings used for holding supplies, parking vehicles, or storing equipment — for example, a bus depot where buses are parked between shifts, or a supply depot where materials are kept until needed

Example

A bus company built a depot at the edge of town for parking buses overnight.

collocation: bus depot (vehicle storage)

After delivery trucks return in the evening, mechanics at the depot check them for repairs.

Common collocations
  • bus depot
  • supply depot
  • military depot
  • fuel depot
  • railway depot
  • maintenance depot
  • at a depot
  • from the depot
Synonyms
  • warehouse

    used for goods and merchandise only, not vehicles

  • storage facility

    broader and more commercial; often refers to rented storage space

  • garage

    smaller in scale, focused on vehicle repair and parking, not bulk supply storage

Grammar Patterns

[noun] + depot

depot + of + noun

Usage Note

In British English, a 'bus depot' almost always means a garage where buses are stored and repaired, not a passenger station. In American English, the meaning can vary by context.

Common Mistakes

The driver dropped the package at the depot' (when referring to a small shop-front courier drop-off).
The driver dropped the package at the depot for sorting and dispatch.
A depot is a central storage or processing facility, not just any collection point.

2. a station or stop where passengers get on or off buses, trains, or other public

2.nounB2
Definition

a station or stop where passengers get on or off buses, trains, or other public transport — usually a building with a waiting area and ticket counter

Example

The bus depot in the town centre has five platforms where long-distance coaches arrive.

collocation: bus depot (passenger station)

Commuters waited on the platform of the small train depot as the evening express approached.

Common collocations
  • bus depot
  • train depot
  • central depot
  • main depot
  • railway depot
  • at the depot
  • arrive at the depot
  • leave the depot
Synonyms
  • station

    the more common, all-purpose term for passenger railway or bus stops

  • terminal

    often the end-point of a route; may be larger with more services

  • stop

    smaller and simpler — may be just a sign or shelter with no building

Grammar Patterns

[noun] + depot

at the + depot

Usage Note

In American English, 'depot' is a common word for a passenger station, especially a historic or small-town train station. In British English, passenger stations are usually called 'station'; 'depot' in the UK typically means the storage garage (sense 1).

Common Mistakes

I'll meet you at the depot' (when referring to a simple bus stop with no shelter or building).
I'll meet you at the depot' (when referring to a station building with a waiting area).
'Depot' in this sense implies a station with facilities, not just any stop along the route.

Word family

  • depots
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Depot, warehouse, storage facility, garage, and terminal all describe places where items or vehicles are kept or handled, but each has a distinct focus. A depot (sense 1) emphasises centralised storage of vehicles, goods, or equipment — often with maintenance facilities, as in a bus depot or supply depot. A warehouse is used strictly for goods and merchandise, never for vehicle parking. A storage facility is a broader commercial term for rented space, usually for personal belongings. A garage focuses on vehicle repair and maintenance and is typically smaller. A terminal overlaps with depot in transport contexts but emphasises passenger or cargo transfer rather than storage. For example: 'The bus company stores its fleet at the depot overnight' (storage), but 'passengers wait at the terminal for their flight' (transfer).

warehouse ↗storage facilitygarage ↗terminal ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • depot manager
  • depot staff
  • depot entrance
  • depot building

Phrases

  • at the depot
  • to the depot
  • from the depot
  • inside the depot

Prepositions

Etymology

FrenchEnglish

Borrowed from French 'dépôt', meaning a store or a place where something is deposited. The French word comes from Latin 'depositum', meaning something laid down or entrusted for safekeeping. The sense of a passenger station developed in 19th-century American English with the growth of railways.