vault

vault — noun

1. a heavily reinforced room, normally found inside a bank, whose massive concrete

1.nounB2
Definition

a heavily reinforced room, normally found inside a bank, whose massive concrete or steel walls and locked metal entrance keep cash, gold bars, jewellery, and other valuables safe from theft.

Example

Ramón slid the diamond necklace into a deposit box inside the hotel's vault.

into / inside the vault

Three armed guards watched as the manager unlocked the bank's main vault.

the bank's vault

Common collocations
  • bank vault
  • secure vault
  • underground vault
  • lock in the vault
  • break into the vault
Synonyms
  • safe

    smaller box-sized container, not a whole room

  • strongroom

    near-equivalent; common in British usage

  • depository

    broader term for any building used to store valuables

Grammar Patterns

in the vault

the bank's vault

Usage Note

Subject is usually a person handling valuables or an institution; objects stored are typically cash, jewellery, gold, documents, or master copies. Often paired with 'lock', 'unlock', 'break into', or 'store in'.

Common Mistakes

I keep my old toys in the vault at home.
I keep my old toys in the safe at home.
a 'vault' is a whole room; a small lockable box is a 'safe'.

2. a curved stone or brick roof shaped like one or several arches joined together,

2.nounC1
Definition

a curved stone or brick roof shaped like one or several arches joined together, often seen above the main hall of an old church or grand public building.

Example

Hui tilted her head back to admire the painted vault of the cathedral.

the vault of [building] for an arched ceiling

Stone vaults rose above the long hallway of the medieval abbey in Burgundy.

plural: stone vaults rose above [space]

Common collocations
  • barrel vault
  • ribbed vault
  • fan vault
  • stone vault
Synonyms
  • arch

    a single curved structure; a vault is typically a whole ceiling made of arches

  • dome

    rounded and bowl-shaped; a vault stretches along a length rather than over a circle

Grammar Patterns

the vault of [building]

Usage Note

Often appears with descriptive modifiers (barrel vault, ribbed vault, fan vault) in writing about churches, castles, and historical buildings. Distinct from sense 1 (bank room) and sense 3 (burial chamber).

Common Mistakes

The vault of the new shopping mall is full of shops.
The arcade of the new shopping mall is full of shops.
'vault' refers to a curved stone ceiling, not a covered shopping area.

3. a small stone room beneath a church or inside a graveyard, where coffins of dead

3.nounC1
Definition

a small stone room beneath a church or inside a graveyard, where coffins of dead family members are placed side by side instead of being put under the earth.

Example

Generations of the Whitfield family rest in a marble vault below the village chapel.

rest in a vault

Zayd's grandfather had asked to be laid to rest in the family vault near Cairo.

the family vault

Common collocations
  • family vault
  • burial vault
  • royal vault
  • sealed vault
Synonyms
  • crypt

    near-equivalent; specifically beneath a church

  • tomb

    broader term; can be above or below ground, single or multiple bodies

  • mausoleum

    a free-standing building rather than an underground chamber

Grammar Patterns

family vault

the vault of [family/church]

Usage Note

Distinct from sense 2 (architectural roof) even though the burial chamber often has an arched ceiling — here the focus is on the chamber as a place of burial. Frequently modified by 'family', 'burial', or 'royal'.

Common Mistakes

They buried him in a small vault in the garden.
They buried him in a small grave in the garden.
vaults are stone-walled chambers, usually under a church or in a cemetery, not holes dug in private gardens.

4. a single jump in which someone leaps over something tall, usually by pushing off

4.nounC1
Definition

a single jump in which someone leaps over something tall, usually by pushing off with their hands or with a long pole, often as part of a sport or escape.

Example

Nala scored a perfect ten on her final vault at the national gymnastics championship.

score on a vault (gymnastics context)

The thief escaped with a single vault over the garden wall and disappeared down the alley.

a vault over [obstacle]

Common collocations
  • pole vault
  • perfect vault
  • single vault
Synonyms
  • leap

    broader; any energetic jump, with or without using hands

  • jump

    general; doesn't imply pushing off with hands or a pole

Grammar Patterns

a vault over [obstacle]

pole vault / gymnastic vault

Usage Note

Often the noun form of the verb sense 1; common in gymnastics ('vault apparatus', 'vault routine') and athletics ('pole vault'). The plural 'vaults' counts separate jumps.

vault — verb

Word family

  • vaulted
    adjectiveC1
  • vaulting
    nounC1
  • vaulter
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words name places that protect valuables, but their scale and tone differ. A 'safe' is a sturdy lockable box you can keep at home, in a hotel room, or in an office — small enough to bolt to the floor. A 'vault' is a whole room, usually inside a bank or major institution, with thick reinforced walls and a heavy door; it is large enough to walk into and store wealth, gold, or master tapes. 'Strongroom' is a near-synonym of 'vault' that is more common in British usage and slightly more old-fashioned. 'Depository' is broader and more formal, often referring to a building, not a single room (e.g. 'the federal gold depository at Fort Knox'). So you might keep a passport in your hotel safe, but the bank's cash reserves stay in the vault, and the country's gold sits in a national depository.

vault ↗safe ↗strongroomdepository

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • pole vault
  • bank vault
  • family vault
  • vault to the top

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinVulgar LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Vault' comes through Old French 'volte' or 'vaute' (a turning, an arched roof), which itself goes back to Vulgar Latin 'volvita' from Latin 'volvere' meaning 'to turn or roll'. The arch sense, recorded in English from the early 14th century, captured the idea of stones turning or curving over a space. From the same Latin root English also gets 'revolve' and 'volume'. The verb sense 'to leap over' arrived later, in the 16th century, from a separate Italian word 'voltare' (to turn, twist, or spring), used in horsemanship and later in athletics. The two senses sit side by side in modern English: a stone roof that curves overhead, and a quick leap that arcs through the air.