ˈɪn.vən.tɹi ˈɪn.vənˌtɔ.ɹi ˈɪn.vən.tɹi ˈɪn.vənˌtɔ.ɹi making an itemized list of merchandise or supplies on hand an inventory may be necessary to see if anything is missing they held an inventory every month make or include in an itemized record or report Inventory all books before the end of the year the merchandise that a shop has on hand they carried a vast inventory of hardware they stopped selling in exact sizes in order to reduce inventory a collection of resources he dipped into his intellectual armory to find an answer a detailed list of all the items in stock (accounting) the value of a firm's current assets including raw materials and work in progress and finished goods