What does "vault" mean?
An arched masonry structure supporting and forming a ceiling, whether freestanding or forming part of a larger building.
Vault
/vɑlt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An arched masonry structure supporting and forming a ceiling, whether freestanding or forming part of a larger building.
- Grammar: vault is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: hurdle, air, anabasis, and jump.
- Useful contrasts: collapse, crawl, exposure.
- Usage evidence: Where are the gold bars you were supposed to pull out of that bank vault with your Transmatter Ray?
How to use "vault"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "vault" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "vault" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "vault" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "vault" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "vault" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "hurdle" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "vault", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An arched masonry structure supporting and forming a ceiling, whether freestanding or forming part of a larger building.
"The decoration of the vault of Sainte-Chapelle was much brighter before its 19th-century restoration."
- 2 An act of vaulting, formerly (chiefly) by deer; a leap or jump.
- 3 the act of jumping over an obstacle wordnet
- 4 Any arched ceiling or roof.
- 5 A piece of apparatus used for performing jumps.
Show 16 more definitions
- 6 an arched brick or stone ceiling or roof wordnet
- 7 Anything resembling such a downward-facing concave structure, particularly the sky and caves. figuratively
"The stalactites held tightly to the cave's vault."
- 8 A gymnastic movement performed on this apparatus.
"Each vault has three segments: “preflight” (the movement from the springboard onto the table), “block” (the moment the hands touch and leave the table) and “postflight” (the flips and twists before landing). […] Handspring and Tsukahara vaults are less common than Yurchenko-style vaults, but some gymnasts specialize in them."
- 9 a burial chamber (usually underground) wordnet
- 10 The space covered by an arched roof, particularly underground rooms and (Christianity, obsolete) church crypts.
- 11 Synonym of volte: a circular movement by the horse.
- 12 a strongroom or compartment (often made of steel) for safekeeping of valuables wordnet
- 13 Any cellar or underground storeroom.
"to banish rats that haunt our vault"
- 14 An event or performance involving a vaulting horse.
- 15 Any burial chamber, particularly those underground.
"Holonyms: catacomb, cuniculus"
- 16 The secure room or rooms in or below a bank used to store currency and other valuables; similar rooms in other settings.
"The bank kept their money safe in a large vault."
- 17 Any archive of past content. figuratively, often
- 18 An encrypted digital archive.
- 19 An underground or covered conduit for water or waste; a drain; a sewer. obsolete
- 20 An underground or covered reservoir for water or waste; a cistern; a cesspit. obsolete
- 21 A room employing a cesspit or sewer: an outhouse; a lavatory. euphemistic, obsolete
Verb
- 1 To build as, or cover with a vault. transitive
"The shady arch that vaulted the broad green alley."
- 2 To jump or leap over with a hand and/or foot on the item for support. ambitransitive
"The fugitive vaulted over the fence to escape."
- 3 bound vigorously wordnet
- 4 To store in a vault. transitive
- 5 jump across or leap over (an obstacle) wordnet
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To remove (an item, character, etc.) from a video game in an update.
"In future updates, most likely in season six, more items will get vaulted."
Example
"Where are the gold bars you were supposed to pull out of that bank vault with your Transmatter Ray?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "vault"?
Common synonyms include: hurdle, air, anabasis, and jump, apse, arcade.
How do you use "vault" in a sentence?
Where are the gold bars you were supposed to pull out of that bank vault with your Transmatter Ray?
How do you pronounce "vault"?
Pronounced /vɑlt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English vaute, vowte, from Old French volte (modern voûte), from Vulgar Latin *volta < *volvita or *volŭta, a regularization of Latin volūta (compare modern volute (“spire”)), the past participle of volvere (“roll, turn”). Cognate with Spanish vuelta (“turn”) and Portuguese volta ("turn"). Doublet of volute.
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Middle French volter (“to turn or spin around; to frolic”), borrowed from Italian voltare, itself from a Vulgar Latin frequentative form of Latin volvere; later assimilated to Etymology 1, above.