stock·pile
ˈstäk-ˌpī(-ə)l 
: a storage pile: such as
a
: a reserve supply of something essential accumulated within a country for use during a shortage
b
: a gradually accumulated reserve of something
… avert stockpiles of unsold cars.—
Bert Pierce
Bert Pierce
stockpiled; stockpiling; stockpiles
1
: to place or store in or on a stockpile
2
: to accumulate a stockpile of
a country suspected of stockpiling weapons
stockpiler
noun
Examples of stockpile in a Sentence
Noun
a stockpile of medical supplies
an emergency stockpile of potable water and canned goods in the cellar
Verb
The government stockpiled vaccines to prepare for a flu epidemic.
we should be able to stockpile enough vaccine for the upcoming flu season
Recent Examples on the Web
Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 10 May 2026
Unless the Strait of Hormuz opens soon, global oil stockpiles will soon start hitting critically low levels and trigger a spike in prices.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 10 May 2026
Katie Foley, CNBC, 11 May 2026
Earlier this year, before the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA made new deals with studios, was a bit of an uncertain period, so Fox stockpiled some shows in the event of another strike.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for stockpile
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Noun
This means that government and commercial oil stockpiles in China averaged around 360 million barrels in December 2025, which compares to America's strategic reserves of nearly 414 million barrels over the same period.
—Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 10 May 2026
Unless the Strait of Hormuz opens soon, global oil stockpiles will soon start hitting critically low levels and trigger a spike in prices.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 10 May 2026
Verb
Export growth also gathered pace in April as factories raced to meet a wave of overseas orders from buyers seeking to stockpile components amid fears the Iran war could push global input costs even higher.
—Katie Foley, CNBC, 11 May 2026
Earlier this year, before the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA made new deals with studios, was a bit of an uncertain period, so Fox stockpiled some shows in the event of another strike.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for stockpile
Cite this Entry
“Stockpile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stockpile. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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