What does "inventory" mean?

1. (list of items) a detailed list of all the things in a specific place, like a shop or a house. 2. (stock on hand) the actual goods or materials that a business has available to sell. 3. (linguistic set) the full set of sounds or words that exist in a specific language. 4. (video game storage) the screen in a video game where you can see and manage the items your character is carrying. 5. (to count and list) to make a list of all the items you have in a place.

How do you use "inventory"?

Often used with the verb 'take' or 'make'. This is a transitive verb that requires a direct object.

inventory

n. · v.

US //ˌɪnvənˈtɔɹi// UK //ˈɪnvəntɹˌi// in·ven·to·ry

1 list of items (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

a detailed list of all the things in a specific place, like a shop or a house.

a complete and detailed list of all the articles, goods, or property in a particular place or belonging to a person or entity.

Example

The landlord took an inventory of the furniture before the new tenants moved in.

Example

The museum maintains a digital inventory of every artifact in its collection to ensure that nothing is misplaced during renovations.

Usage

Often used with the verb 'take' or 'make'.
2 stock on hand (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

the actual goods or materials that a business has available to sell.

the physical stock of goods, materials, or assets held by a business at a specific time.

Example

The shop has a large inventory of winter coats because of the cold weather.

Example

Efficient supply chain management requires keeping enough inventory to meet demand without incurring excessive storage costs.

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3 linguistic set (n.)
C1 Advanced Academic Technical Science

the full set of sounds or words that exist in a specific language.

the total set of a specified linguistic feature, such as phonemes or morphemes, within a particular language or dialect.

Example

English has a larger inventory of vowel sounds than many other languages.

Example

The researcher analyzed the phonological inventory of the dialect to determine how it differed from the standard variety.

Teacher's tip

In linguistics, this refers to the 'menu' of options a language has available.
- repertoire
- set
4 video game storage (n.)
B1 Intermediate Informal Computing

the screen in a video game where you can see and manage the items your character is carrying.

a user interface element in video games that displays the items currently held or equipped by the player character.

Example

I need to drop some rocks because my inventory is full and I can't carry more gold.

Example

The game's inventory management system was criticized for being too small, forcing players to constantly discard useful items.
- backpack
- stash
5 to count and list (v.)
C1 Advanced Formal

to make a list of all the items you have in a place.

to perform a systematic count and recording of items or resources on hand.

Example

The staff will inventory the warehouse supplies over the weekend.

Example

It is standard procedure to inventory the laboratory equipment at the end of each fiscal year to account for any losses.

Usage

This is a transitive verb that requires a direct object.

Origin

From Middle English inventorie, from Medieval Latin inventōrium, alteration of Late Latin inventārium, from Latin inveniō (“to find out”).