silo

1 of 2

noun

si·​lo ˈsī-(ˌ)lō 

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

3

: 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.

—John H. Howard

Examples of silos in blue-chip firms abound: Sony once had two separate divisions working on creating the same electrical plug without anyone realizing it.

—Rana Foroohar

To 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

Moorhouse 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

Illustration of silo

• silo 1

silo

2 of 2

verb

siloed; siloing; siloes

transitive verb

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

Examples of silo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Black artists and white artists, in the late ’60s, were thought of in separate silos, and Sly wanted to tear that down. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 24 Jan. 2025

Breaking down silos requires a cultural shift as much as a technological one. —Brian Chidester, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025

Verb

Simplify Technology Digital transformation often results in tech sprawl, a web of disconnected tools that silo data and complicate workflows. —Ed Jennings, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024

But even now, Ken admonishes himself for trying to silo da Vinci’s expertise into such restrictive disciplines. —Hunter Ingram For Variety, ARTnews.com, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Spanish

First Known Use

Noun

1856, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1981, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids 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