WordGarden.iostock
B2Pronunciation
UK
- /stˈɒk/
US
- /ˈstɑk/
Meanings
Noun
goods or materials kept available for sale or use
a unit of ownership in a company or investment fund
a flavorful liquid made by simmering bones, meat, fish, or vegetables for cooking
More meaningsFewer meanings
farm animals, especially those kept for breeding
Verb
to keep goods available for sale or use
Adjective
routine, conventional, or repeatedly reused rather than original
Beyond the definition
"Stock" is a very flexible word. Most often, it means a supply of something ready to be used or sold, like when a store says an item is "in stock." It also has an important business meaning. When you buy stock in a company, you buy a small part of that company. The value can go up or down over time. In another common use, "livestock" means animals raised on a farm. In cooking, stock is the rich liquid made by slowly boiling bones, meat, or vegetables, and people use it as a base for soups and sauces. So when you hear "stock," the idea is often something kept as a useful supply, a share of ownership, or farm animals.
The word "stock" has several meanings, but they often connect to the idea of something kept, owned, or used as a source. One very common meaning is a supply of goods. A store might say that shoes are "in stock," which means they are available to buy. This use can also be broader: a business may keep a stock of materials, and someone might stock a shelf or stock a pond by adding fish.
Another major meaning appears in finance. When you buy stock in a company, you buy a small piece of ownership in that business. These pieces are often called shares. If the company does well, the value may rise; if it does poorly, the value may fall. This is one of the most common modern uses of the word.
"Stock" also appears in the word "livestock," which means farm animals such as cattle, sheep, or pigs. In cooking, stock is a savory liquid made by simmering bones, meat, fish, or vegetables in water. It is used as a base for soups, sauces, and other dishes.
There are a few other uses as well. "Stock" can mean family line or ancestry, as in "from strong stock." It can also name the main wooden part of a rifle or gun. So, depending on the context, "stock" may point to goods on hand, ownership in a company, animals on a farm, a cooking liquid, or an original source.
Examples
- 1
Product availability
The store still has my size in stock.
- Phrasein stock
available to buy
- 2
Sold out
Those chairs are out of stock at the moment.
- Phraseout of stock
not available right now
- 3
Home supplies
We keep a small stock of canned food at home.
- 4
Pharmacy inventory
This pharmacy stocks basic cold medicine and painkillers.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Storm preparation
We stocked up on water before the storm.
- Patternstock up on + supplies
buy or store a lot for later
- 6
Investing
Her parents made a lot of money from technology stocks.
- Domainin finance, stocks
shares in companies
- 7
Market movement
Stock prices fell after the company announced the news.
- 8
Cooking
The sauce is made with chicken stock and fresh herbs.
- Phrasechicken stock
liquid used as a base for soup or sauce
- 9
Reflection
At the end of the year, the team took stock of what they had achieved.
- Phrasetake stock of
think carefully about the current situation
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- stocknounverbadjective
Forms
- stockspluralnounverbadjective
- stocking-ing formverbnounadjective
- stockedpast tenseverbnounadjective