What does cache mean?
A cache is a hidden or reserved store of valuable or useful items, kept aside for later use. The word originally referred to physical hiding places — explorers stashing provisions, soldiers concealing weapons, animals caching food for winter. In modern life its most prominent use is technological: computers maintain caches of frequently accessed data in fast memory so that information can be retrieved almost instantly rather than fetched from slower storage. This sense has made 'cache' one of the most common words in technical vocabulary, appearing in phrases like 'cache memory', 'clearing the cache', and 'cache hit'. Despite its high-tech associations, the word retains its older, more tangible meaning in phrases such as 'a cache of weapons' or 'a cache of food'. Pronounced exactly like 'cash', the word is often confused with that term, though the two are entirely unrelated in origin and meaning. Its versatility across everyday and specialist registers makes it a genuinely useful word to know.
nounA cache is a hidden store of things kept in reserve, or a collection of data stored in a hidden or protected place. It also refers to a computer's dedicated memory area where frequently accessed data is kept for quick retrieval.
- A hidden or secret store of goods, supplies, or valuables kept for future use
- A collection of data stored in a computer's memory for rapid access to frequently used information
"The hikers found a cache of supplies left by an earlier expedition."
"The soldiers discovered a cache of ammunition buried beneath the old farmhouse."
"Clearing the browser's cache often resolves slow-loading pages."
Standard regular plural; pronounced /ˈkæʃɪz/.
"Several caches of Roman coins were unearthed during the excavation."
Every time your browser loads a page instantly, it's because it secretly hoarded a copy — that's a cache at work.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cache
The English word 'cache' was borrowed directly from French, where it meant a hiding place, derived from the verb 'cacher', meaning 'to hide' or 'to conceal'. French in turn took this from the Latin verb 'coacticare', meaning 'to press together' or 'to store up'. The word entered English around the late eighteenth century, initially in the context of explorers and hunters who hid stores of provisions. A close relative is 'cachet', which shares the same French root but came to denote a mark of prestige rather than concealment.
Related word forms
How cache is actually used
In computing contexts, 'cache' is used both as a noun and as a verb ('to cache' data), and is pronounced identically to 'cash'. In everyday British and American usage, the noun dominates, though geocaching enthusiasts also use it for hidden containers.
Easily confused with cache
'Cash' means money in coin or banknotes, while 'cache' means a hidden store of items or data — they are near-homophones but entirely unrelated in meaning.
'Cachet' refers to prestige or a mark of distinction, whereas 'cache' refers to a concealed stockpile; both come from the same French root 'cacher' (to hide) but have diverged completely.