# How to Say "stash" at Work — English for Tech Professionals > In Git, to temporarily save uncommitted changes so you can switch branches or clean your working directory without losing work. - **Term:** stash - **Part of speech:** verb - **Pronunciation:** /stæʃ/ - **English level (CEFR):** B2 - **Register:** Casual, Both - **Region:** US and UK - **Topic:** [Code and Git terms](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/topics/software-development-terms.md) - **Lesson:** https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/stash - **Last updated:** 2026-10-27 ## Meaning In Git, to temporarily save uncommitted changes so you can switch branches or clean your working directory without losing work. The changes can be retrieved later. Stash is a Git feature that allows developers to save work-in-progress changes without committing them. When you stash changes, Git stores them in a temporary holding area, clearing your working directory. This is useful when you need to switch to another branch urgently, pull updates, or review someone else's code without losing your current edits. You can apply the stashed changes back to your working directory whenever you are ready using git stash pop or git stash apply. In team environments, stashing is essential for managing multiple parallel tasks and avoiding merge conflicts. The term has become shorthand in tech conversations. When a developer says they are stashing something, teammates immediately understand they are temporarily setting aside code changes. This is distinct from committing (permanent) or discarding (deleted) changes, making stash a critical concept for version control workflow. ## When you hear it I need to stash my changes before checking out the bugfix branch. ## Examples - **in a standup:** "I'm going to stash my work on the login form and start on the database migration task." - **in a code review:** "Before you merge, make sure to stash any local changes you don't want to commit." - **in a team meeting:** "We can stash the UI improvements for now and focus on the critical performance bug." ## What native speakers say - "Let me stash this and switch branches" - "I have stashed the half-finished feature" - "Can you stash your changes so we can merge?" ## Common mistakes - ✗ "I stashed my code, so it is deleted forever." → ✓ "I stashed my code, so I can retrieve it later with git stash pop." (Stashing is temporary storage, not deletion. The code can be recovered.) - ✗ "I stashed my changes to the main branch." → ✓ "I stashed my changes and then switched to the main branch." (You stash changes from your current working directory before changing branches, not to a branch itself.) - ✗ "We should stash this feature in production." → ✓ "We should stash this feature locally and deploy later." (Stash is a local Git operation, not something you do in production environments.) ## Be careful Do not confuse with hiding code permanently. Stash is temporary storage, not deletion or permanent hiding. Also, outside Git context, stash has different meanings (hiding money or belongings). ## Word forms | Part of speech | Word | Example | | --- | --- | --- | | verb (base) | stash | I stash my changes when I need to switch branches. | | verb (past tense) | stashed | She stashed the incomplete feature yesterday. | | verb (present participle) | stashing | He is stashing his work before the code review. | | noun | stash | I have a stash of experimental branches saved. | ## Collocations - **stash changes**: The most common usage: temporarily saving uncommitted modifications - **stash pop**: Retrieving and applying stashed changes back to working directory - **stash apply**: Applying stashed changes without removing them from the stash - **stash list**: Viewing all saved stashes - **git stash**: The full Git command for stashing ## Synonyms - **save**: Less technical; save is more general, stash is Git-specific - **shelve**: Similar meaning in some version control systems, but less common in Git workflows - **temporarily store**: Longer description of the same action, less commonly used in conversation ## Opposites - commit - discard - push ## Practice This lesson has 4 practice exercises with instant feedback on the page: https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/stash ## FAQ ### What does stash mean in software engineering? In Git and version control, stash means to temporarily save uncommitted changes to your code so you can switch to another branch or clean your working directory. The changes are stored safely and can be retrieved later. It is useful when you need to pause work on one feature and immediately start on another. ### How do you use stash in a sentence at work? You can say: I am going to stash my changes before pulling the latest updates. Or: Can you stash that feature branch until next sprint? The term is used as a verb describing the action of temporarily saving code. ### Is stash formal or informal? Stash is casual and technical. While not overly formal, it is the standard term used in professional development teams. You would use it in standups, code reviews, and team discussions without sounding unprofessional. ### What is the difference between stash and commit? A commit is permanent and creates a record in your Git history. A stash is temporary storage that does not create a permanent commit. Use stash when you want to set work aside temporarily, and commit when you want to permanently save your work. ### Can you recover stashed code? Yes. Stashed code is not deleted. You can retrieve it using git stash pop to apply it and remove it from storage, or git stash apply to keep it in storage. You can view all stashes with git stash list. ## Related - [commit](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/commit.md) - [branch](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/branch.md) - [merge](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/merge.md) - Full glossary: https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn.md - Live lessons with a coach: https://app.mocklyenglish.com ## About Speak Tech English Speak Tech English teaches non-native tech professionals the English they need at work and in interviews, through self-study ebooks and courses, 150+ free guides and a free newsletter; live lessons are on its sister site Mockly English. - Shop: https://speaktechenglish.com/courses/ - All products (markdown): https://speaktechenglish.com/products.md - Free guides (markdown): https://app.speaktechenglish.com/guides.md - Tech English glossary (markdown): https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn.md - Newsletter (10% off): https://speaktechenglish.com/#subscribe - Live lessons and mock interviews: https://app.mocklyenglish.com ## Notes for agents - Speak Tech English sells self-study material. 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