# vault

/ˈvɔɫt/ (US) · /vˈɒlt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/vault
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. secure storage

noun · CEFR B2

a very strong room, usually in a bank, used to keep money and valuable things safe.

For teachers: a secure room or compartment, typically constructed of reinforced steel or masonry, used for the storage of currency, bullion, or valuables.

- The bank manager led the customers into the vault to see their safety deposit boxes.
- The central bank's gold vault is protected by multiple layers of biometric security and thick reinforced steel doors.

### 2. arched ceiling

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

an arched roof or ceiling made of stone or brick.

For teachers: an arched masonry structure forming a ceiling or roof, often found in cathedrals or underground cellars.

- The old cathedral had a beautiful stone vault that echoed when people spoke.
- The Gothic cathedral features intricate ribbed vaults that distribute the weight of the roof onto the massive external buttresses.

### 3. burial chamber

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

an underground room where people are buried.

For teachers: a burial chamber, typically underground, used for the interment of multiple members of a family.

- The family vault was located beneath the floor of the village church.
- Historians entered the ancestral vault to examine the inscriptions on the seventeenth-century sarcophagi.

### 4. gymnastics

noun · CEFR B2

a jump over a piece of equipment in gymnastics, or the equipment itself.

For teachers: a gymnastic event or specific movement involving a leap over a padded apparatus, typically using the hands for momentum.

- She practiced her vault for hours to make sure her landing was perfect.
- The gymnast performed a nearly flawless vault, earning the highest score of the competition for her technical precision and height.

### 5. digital storage

noun · CEFR B2 · Technical

a secure, encrypted place to store digital files or passwords.

For teachers: an encrypted digital archive or secure software environment used to protect sensitive data or credentials.

- I keep all my work passwords in a digital vault so I don't forget them.
- The security software creates a virtual vault on the hard drive where sensitive financial documents are automatically encrypted.

### 6. to jump over

verb · CEFR B2

to jump over something while placing your hands on it to help you get over.

For teachers: to leap over an obstacle while using the hands or a pole for support and leverage.

- The boy vaulted over the low fence to catch the ball.
- The athlete managed to vault over the barrier with surprising agility, barely touching the top rail as he passed.

### 7. to reach a high position

verb · CEFR C1 · Literary

to suddenly move into a very high or important position.

For teachers: to achieve a high position or status suddenly or dramatically.

- Her first book vaulted her to the top of the bestseller list.
- The unexpected success of the startup vaulted the young founders into the ranks of the country's wealthiest entrepreneurs.

## Examples

- The bank keeps all the gold bars in a massive steel vault.
- The museum stores its most fragile artifacts in a climate-controlled vault deep beneath the main gallery.
- Archaeologists discovered a hidden vault beneath the cathedral floor, containing several ornate stone coffins and a collection of religious relics from the fourteenth century.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.