| vault | |
| 1. subst. An arched masonry structure supporting and forming a ceiling, whether freestanding or forming part of a larger building. | |
| The decoration of the vault of Sainte-Chapelle was much brighter before its 19th-century restoration. | |
| 2. subst. Any arched ceiling or roof. | |
| 3. subst. (figuratively) Anything resembling such a downward-facing concave structure, particularly the sky and caves. | |
| The stalactites held tightly to the cave's vault. | |
| 4. subst. The space covered by an arched roof, particularly underground rooms and(Christianity) church crypts. | |
| 5. subst. Any cellar or underground storeroom. | |
| 6. subst. Any burial chamber, particularly those underground. | |
| Family members had been buried in the vault for centuries. | |
| 7. subst. The secure room or rooms in or below a bank used to store currency and other valuables; similar rooms in other settings. | |
| The bank kept their money safe in a large vault. | |
| 8. subst. (gymnastics) A piece of apparatus used for performing jumps. | |
| 9. subst. (gymnastics) A gymnastic movement performed on this apparatus. | |
| 10. subst. (computing) An encrypted digital archive. | |
| 11. subst. (obsolete) An underground or covered conduit for water or waste; a drain; a sewer. | |
| 12. subst. (obsolete) A underground or covered reservoir for water or waste; a cistern; a cesspit. | |
| 13. subst. (obsolete) A room employing a cesspit or sewer: an outhouse; a lavatory. | |
| 14. v. To build as, or cover with a vault. | |
| 15. v. To jump or leap over. | |
| The fugitive vaulted over the fence to escape. | |
| 16. subst. An act of vaulting, formerly(chiefly) by deer; a leap or jump. | |
| 17. subst. (equestrianism) (synonym of volte): a circular movement by the horse. | |
| 18. subst. (gymnastics) An event or performance involving a vaulting horse. | |
