depot

Everyday

1. A depot is a large building or yard where goods, vehicles or supplies are kept until they are needed. tree →
2. A depot is a place where buses, trains or trams are parked, cleaned and repaired. tree →
3. (US) A depot is a small railway or bus station. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life a depot is where the buses sleep at night, where parcels wait before delivery, or where the council keeps salt and grit for icy roads. In stories a depot is often a busy or spooky place full of lorries or trains. In maths problems a depot is often the starting point: «trucks leave the depot», «the depot holds 500 boxes». Phrases: bus depot, fuel depot, supply depot, delivery depot, return to the depot.

Examples

• The buses go back to the depot at midnight. tree →
• Our parcel is waiting at the delivery depot. tree →
• The army kept food and blankets in a supply depot. tree →
• Grandpa met Grandma at the old train depot. tree →
• A lorry leaves the depot with 240 boxes and drops 30 at each shop. tree →
• The council's depot is full of grit for the winter roads. tree →
• The firefighters drove the engine back to the depot. tree →
• We waited at the bus depot for the last bus home. tree →

Note

Countable noun: a depot, two depots. Say it DEP-oh in the UK and DEE-poh in the USA; the final t is silent. Do not mix it up with «deposit» (money put down). In a maths problem «the depot» is usually where things start or end, so count what leaves and what comes back.