library
noun
li·brary
| \ ˈlī-ˌbrer-ē
, -ˌbre-rē; British usually and US sometimes -brə-rē; British often and US sometimes -brē, nonstandard -ˌber-ē, nonstandard -ˌbe-rē
\
, -ˌbre-rē; British usually and US sometimes -brə-rē; British often and US sometimes -brē, nonstandard -ˌber-ē, nonstandard -ˌbe-rē
\
plural libraries
Definition of library
1a
: a place in which literary, musical, artistic, or reference materials (such as books, manuscripts, recordings, or films) are kept for use but not for sale
b
: a collection of such materials
a library of jazz recordings
2a
: a collection resembling or suggesting a library
an illustrations library
b
: morgue sense 2
3a
: a series of related books issued by a publisher
a Dickens library
b
: a collection of publications on the same subject
4
: a collection of cloned DNA fragments that are maintained in a suitable cellular environment and that usually represent the genetic material of a particular organism or tissue
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Examples of library in a Sentence
I borrowed the book from the school library.
He has an impressive library of jazz records.
a library of computer programs
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Recent Examples on the Web
This exhibition presents some of the most spectacular archeological finds from the site — including bronzes, marble statuary and objects from the library of papyrus scrolls that give the villa its name. — Los Angeles Times, "Datebook: How Duke Ellington inspired an art show about black and Latino experience," 15 Aug. 2019 The site was a library of fanfiction, a home to more memes and GIFs than any one person could ever look at, let alone reblog. — Angela Watercutter, WIRED, "The Internet Needs Tumblr More Than Ever," 14 Aug. 2019 The combined company would still be small compared with Disney, which has a vast library of movies and shows, and Netflix, the pioneer in streaming technology. — Kelly Tyko, USA TODAY, "CBS and Viacom are reuniting with new deal and set to become ViacomCBS Inc. by end of year," 13 Aug. 2019 Today, the Switch is a top seller with a growing library of first-party exclusives and third-party ports driving continuing interest. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Why is Electronic Arts almost completely ignoring the Switch?," 1 Aug. 2019 The book as a whole feels like a library of a particular mind. — Tobias Carroll, Longreads, "‘I Surprise Myself With This Refusal To Let Go’: Kate Zambreno on the ‘Ghostly Correspondence’," 25 July 2019 Guide books: Always carry your own map and do research, especially if there’s an approach to get to the hut, but many have a library of local guidebooks and maps. — Ryan Wichelns, The Know, "The best hut trips in Colorado for summertime adventures," 18 July 2019 Socrates taught Plato and Plato taught Aristotle and Aristotle taught Alexander the Great, who founded a city that would house the most voluminous library of the ancient world — until it was burned, until forgetting came back into vogue. — courant.com, "CT Poets’ Corner: The prose poetry of Charles Rafferty reflects life’s tiny moments," 18 July 2019 Launched last fall, DC Universe offers original programming and digital comics as well as a library of vintage DC and Warner Brothers superhero films, TV series and shorts. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Comic-Con 2019: 50 things to see at this year’s Comic-Con," 17 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'library.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for library
library
noun
English Language Learners Definition of library
: a place where books, magazines, and other materials (such as videos and musical recordings) are available for people to use or borrow
: a room in a person's house where books are kept
: a collection of similar things (such as books or recordings)
See the full definition for library in the English Language Learners Dictionary
library
noun
li·brary
| \ ˈlī-ˌbrer-ē
\
\
plural libraries
Kids Definition of library
1
: a place where literary or reference materials (as books, manuscripts, recordings, or films) are kept for use but are not for sale
2
: a collection of literary or reference materials
They have a large personal library.
library
noun
li·brary
| \ ˈlī-ˌbrer-ē
\
\
plural libraries
Medical Definition of library
: a collection of cloned DNA fragments that are maintained in a suitable cellular environment and that represent the genetic material of a particular organism or tissue
inserting segments from a library of human DNA into yeast cells — Science News
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