American English

How to pronounce library

nounA2Very common word
LAIBrehree

/ˈlaɪbˌɹɛɹ.i/

3 syllables · Stress the first syllable.

A place where people can read, borrow, or use books and other information.

Practice out loud

Meanings & examples

noun

A place where people can read, borrow, or use books and other information.

I go to the library every Saturday.

She borrowed two books from the library.

Good to know

Library means biblioteca, not a store that sells books.

Common phrases & grammar

public library · local library · library card · school library

go to the library

borrow a book from the library

noun

A group of books, recordings, or digital materials owned by a person or organization.

He has a large library at home.

The website has a library of free videos.

Common phrases & grammar

personal library · digital library

have a large library

a library of films

nountechnicalless common

A set of computer code that a program can use for a particular purpose.

This app uses a library for reading PDF files.

The developer installed a new software library.

Common phrases & grammar

software library · standard library

use a library in a program

install a library for Python

Useful expressions

public library

A library that is open to everyone in a town or area.

The public library is closed on Sundays.

library card

A card that lets you borrow books from a library.

You need a library card to borrow these books.

library book

A book borrowed from a library.

Please return the library book tomorrow.

Related words & forms

The plural is libraries, not librarys.