inventory

Everyday

1. A complete list of all the things in a place, such as goods in a shop or items in a house. tree →
2. All the goods a shop or company has in store, ready to sell (stock). tree →
3. (games) The list or box of things a player carries in a video game. tree →
4. (verb) To make a full list of things. tree →

In the lessons

In maths it appears in shop and stock problems (counting, adding and taking away items); in business and everyday life shops «take inventory»; in video games your inventory holds your tools and treasure. In stories, a character may make an inventory of what they have when lost or shipwrecked. Phrases: take (an) inventory, inventory list, in the inventory.

Examples

• The shop takes an inventory of everything on the shelves each January. tree →
• Robinson made an inventory of the things he saved from the wreck. tree →
• My inventory is full, so I can't pick up the sword. tree →
• The library inventory shows 3,000 books. tree →
• Before we moved, Mum made an inventory of the furniture. tree →
• The toy shop's inventory ran low before Christmas. tree →
• If the inventory had 120 pens and 45 were sold, 75 are left. tree →

Note

Countable: an inventory, inventories (y → ies). UK English often uses «stock» for goods; «inventory» is more US. Stress: IN-ven-tor-y (UK often IN-ven-tree). Do not confuse with «invention». In maths problems it is the starting amount of items, usually changed by sales (subtract) and deliveries (add).