stock

SaySTOK/stɑk/UK/stɒk/

Pluralstocks

Verbstocks, stocking, stocked

47 meanings of stock

Practice

1
company sharesnounUScountable or uncountable
Shares in a company that people buy and sell, or how much those shares are worth.
Like owning one slice of a big pizza that many people share.
She bought stock in a company that makes electric cars.
He sold his stock when the price went up.
UsageSay buy stock in a company. British English often says shares.
Similarshares, equity
2
goods on handnouncountable or uncountable
An amount of something kept ready so it can be sold or used when needed.
Like keeping extra food in the cupboard so you never run out.
The store ran out of stock before the holidays.
We keep plenty of stock in the back room.
UsageIn stock means the shop has it; out of stock means it has none.
Similarinventory, supply, stockpile, reserve, store
Note
3
fill shelvesverbtransitive
To fill a place with the things it needs.
Like filling your backpack with everything you need for a trip.
They stock the shelves every morning before opening.
We need to stock the cabin with food before winter.
UsageSay stock a place with things: stock the cabin with food.
Similarsupply, fill, provision, equip, replenish
Oppositeempty, deplete, strip
Note
4
soup basenouncountable or uncountable
A tasty liquid made by boiling meat, bones, or vegetables in water.
Like tea, but made from meat or vegetables instead of leaves.
She added a cup of stock to the soup.
Homemade stock tastes much better than the kind from a box.
UsageSay chicken stock or vegetable stock.
Similarbroth, bouillon
Note
5
keep for saleverbtransitive
To keep goods ready to sell in a shop.
Like keeping your fridge full of food ready to eat.
Most supermarkets stock several brands of milk.
Does this store stock spare batteries?
UsageA shop stocks the things it sells: do you stock batteries?
Similarcarry, sell, keep, offer, supply
6
off-the-shelfadjective
Normal and standard, the way it is usually made or sold, not specially made or changed.
The shop carries stock sizes that fit most people.
You can buy a stock model today or order a custom one.
UsageUsually before a noun: a stock model.
Similarstandard, regular, off-the-shelf
Oppositecustom, bespoke
7
farm animalsnouncountable or uncountable
Farm animals like cows, sheep, or pigs kept on a farm.
Like all the animals a farmer counts and cares for on the land.
The farmer moved his stock to the higher field.
The farmer feeds his stock hay all winter long.
UsageLivestock means the same and is more common.
Similarlivestock
8
used too oftenadjective
Very ordinary and not special, just the usual kind you would expect.
Like a paper cup, plain and just like every other one.
He gave a stock answer that told us nothing new.
The movie was full of stock characters we had seen before.
UsageCommon in stock phrase and stock answer.
Similarhackneyed, standard, conventional, stereotyped, formulaic
Oppositeoriginal, fresh, novel, unconventional
Note
9
train carsnouncountable or uncountable
The engines, train cars, and other vehicles that a railroad owns and uses.
Like all the buses a bus company owns and drives every day.
The railroad replaced its aging stock with newer electric units.
The railroad bought new stock to replace its old train cars.
UsageAlso called rolling stock.
10
gun buttnouncountable or uncountable
The wooden or plastic part of a gun that you hold against your shoulder.
Like the handle of a tool, the part you hold to control it.
He pressed the rifle's stock firmly against his shoulder.
The old shotgun had a cracked wooden stock.
Similarbutt
Note
11
fish numbersnouncountable or uncountable
The number of fish or animals in the wild that people can catch.
Like the apples on a tree: pick too many and few are left.
Overfishing has lowered the cod stock in these waters.
The lake's fish stock recovered after the ban on net fishing.
UsageOften fish stocks: fish stocks are falling.
Similarpopulation
Note
12
raw materialnouncountable or uncountable
Material used to make something, such as metal, printing paper, or photographic film.
Like choosing thick or thin paper for a school art project.
The designer picked a thick, glossy stock for the wedding invitations.
This stock soaks up ink quickly and feels rough to the touch.
Similarpaper, material
13
garden flowernouncountable or uncountable
One of several kinds of flowering plants that are related to cabbage and mustard.
My grandmother grows pink stock next to her front door.
The stocks in the flower bed bloomed early this spring.

Less common meanings

14
reputationnounfigurativelycountable or uncountable
How much people respect or value someone at a given time.
Like a score that rises when people like you and drops when they don't.
His stock went up after he helped win the game.
Her stock among voters fell after the scandal.
UsageSay someone's stock went up or went down.
Similarreputation
Note
15
family linenouncountable or uncountable
The family and ancestors that a person comes from.
Like the roots of a tree that the whole family grows from.
She comes from a long line of farming stock.
The family is proud of its Irish stock.
UsageSay from farming stock or of noble stock.
Similardescent, ancestry, lineage, extraction, blood
Note
16
summer theaternouncountable or uncountable
A theater system where a group of actors performs several plays in one season, often in summer.
Like a band that puts on a new show every week all summer.
She spent three summers acting in stock before landing a city role.
The young performer learned his craft doing stock in small towns.
UsageOften summer stock.
Similarrepertory, rep
17
card pilenouncountable or uncountable
The pile of cards left to draw from after everyone has their first cards.
Like the spare cards you pick from in the game Go Fish.
She drew the top card from the stock and added it to her hand.
When the stock runs out, players reshuffle the discards.
Similarpile, deck, talon
18
main trunknouncountable or uncountable
The main woody trunk and stems of a tree, or the base that something grows out of.
Like the strong base of a plant that all the branches grow from.
The old oak's thick stock had weathered a hundred winters.
New shoots sprouted from the gnarled stock near the ground.
Similartrunk, stem, bole
Note
19
host plantnouncountable or uncountable
The rooted plant that a cutting from another plant is joined onto.
Like the bottom of a plant that gives roots to a new top.
The grower grafted a pear shoot onto a hardy quince stock.
A strong stock helps the young graft survive its first winter.
Similarrootstock
Note
20
tool handlenouncountable or uncountable
The handle of a whip, fishing rod, or similar tool.
Like the part of a broom you hold while you sweep.
He gripped the worn leather stock of the whip.
The driver cracked the whip, holding it by its long wooden stock.
Similarhandle, shaft, grip, butt
21
wide necktienouncountable or uncountable
A wide necktie or band of cloth worn around the neck, now seen mostly in horse riding outfits.
Like a wide scarf wrapped neatly around the neck.
The rider fastened a crisp white stock beneath her collar before the event.
He tied a neat stock around his neck to complete the formal outfit.
Similarcravat, neckcloth, tie
Note
22
verb
To lock someone's hands or feet in a wooden frame as a public punishment.
23
noun
A very large group of related languages that includes several language families.
24
noun
The wooden frame that holds a ship up while it is being built.
25
noun
A part of a machine that holds things up or keeps them still.
26
noun
A long, thin, hard piece of something, such as a bar or stick.
27
noun
Soap with no color or smell added yet.
28
noun
The part of a lathe or drill that holds the main turning shaft.
29
noun
The back part of a lathe that holds the other end of the work.
30
noun
A stick skiers push with.
31
noun
The bar across the top of an anchor.
32
noun
The post that turns a boat's rudder when the wheel or handle moves.
33
noun
A tall column of metal ore in the ground.
34
noun
A black cloth piece that a priest wears under the collar.
35
noun
A baby's bed.
36
noun
A piece of wood fairies left instead of a baby they stole.
37
nounobsolete
Something you wear on your legs, like a long sock.
38
noun
A strong post or block of wood.
39
nounobsolete
A stupid person with no feeling, like a log.
Let's be no stoics, nor no stocks.
c. 1590, William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”
40
nounUK
The longer half of a marked wooden stick given as proof that the king owed someone money.
41
nounUK
Bricks used on the outside of buildings.
42
noun
A group of living things joined together, like a colony.
43
noun
The hammer in a mill that beats cloth.
44
verb
To not milk cows for a day or more before selling them.
45
verb
To put the bar on an anchor.
46
verbdated
To put cards in a secret order to cheat.
47
noun
A forward stab with a thin sword.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of stock apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Old English "stocc," meaning a tree trunk or a piece of wood. Later senses about "supply" or "raw material" may come from a mix-up with a word for goods, or from tally sticks used to record debts and payments.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

Stock derives from Old English stocc. en.wiktionary.org
Old English stocc denoted a tree trunk or piece of wood. en.wiktionary.org
The supply and raw-material senses may reflect confusion with a word meaning goods. en.wiktionary.org
The supply and raw-material senses may instead derive from tally sticks recording financial transactions. en.wiktionary.org