Illustration of silo
- silo 1
plural silos
1
: a trench, pit, or especially a tall cylinder (as of wood or concrete) usually sealed to exclude air and used for making and storing silage
2
a
: a deep bin for storing material (such as coal)
b
: an underground structure for housing a guided missile
These are weapons that can hit military targets, such as missile silos and headquarters, swiftly and accurately …—
Leslie H. Gelb
Leslie H. Gelb3
: an isolated grouping, department, etc., that functions apart from others especially in a way seen as hindering communication and cooperation
Big, complex companies are typically structured so that decision making is separated according to function, geography and product. That naturally creates silos.—Rana Foroohar
Rana ForooharTo break down silos individual officials need a stronger sense of belonging to a bigger whole, with norms and expectations spanning all departments and agencies.—David Walker
David WalkerMoorhouse came to the paper determined to break down its "silos"—MBA-speak for self-contained departments that don't have anything to do with other departments in a business.—Mark Fitzgerald
Mark Fitzgerald
siloed; siloing; siloes
1
: to place or store (material, such as grain) in a silo
2
: to isolate (someone or something, such as a grouping or department) in a way that hinders communication and cooperation with others : to place (someone or something) in an isolated silo (see silo entry 1 sense 3)
One step banks can take to balance efforts, [Emmett] Higdon suggested, is to stop siloing mobile and online banking development efforts and channels.—Nathan DiCamillo
Nathan DiCamilloExamples of silo in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Sander Barens, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
What remained structurally was an old dairy barn and silo, which became the connecting piece of the property’s future.
—Emily M. Olson, Hartford Courant, 23 July 2025
Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 31 July 2025
Taylor Thompson, a fourth-grade teacher in the Oshkosh Area School District, said that, while teaching can be challenging, it can be done successfully if there's a school community and coworkers and principals who don't allow teachers to silo themselves into their own classrooms.
—Alec Johnson, jsonline.com, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for silo
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Noun
Traditional silos between development, infrastructure and operations need to evolve into integrated workflows that enable agility and innovation.
—Sander Barens, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
What remained structurally was an old dairy barn and silo, which became the connecting piece of the property’s future.
—Emily M. Olson, Hartford Courant, 23 July 2025
Verb
By Kassan’s telling of events, the agency schemed to silo MediaLink and pressure him into increasing prices, on top of refusing to invest in the firm and slashing its marketing spend.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 31 July 2025
Taylor Thompson, a fourth-grade teacher in the Oshkosh Area School District, said that, while teaching can be challenging, it can be done successfully if there's a school community and coworkers and principals who don't allow teachers to silo themselves into their own classrooms.
—Alec Johnson, jsonline.com, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for silo
Cite this Entry
“Silo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/silo. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
silo
noun
si·lo
ˈsī-lō 
plural silos
1
: a trench, pit, or especially a tall cylinder (as of wood or concrete) used for making and storing silage
2
: an underground structure for housing a missile
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