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
Synonyms
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 WebMatt Seyler, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2023
The package is the 46th drawdown from current Defense Department stockpiles for Ukraine since August 2021.
—Eleanor Watson, CBS News, 6 Sep. 2023
After Huawei began running out of its stockpile of existing chipsets, rumors emerged that the company had been working on a 5G chip using technology sourced from China.
—Emma Roth, The Verge, 30 Aug. 2023
The attacks, often targeting critical civilian infrastructure, have had a devastating impact on Ukraine’s war effort, knocking critical power grids offline and destroying grain stockpiles, according to Vladyslav Vlasiuk, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
—Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 17 Aug. 2023
This had once been federal land, and during World War II, these structures were used to store stockpiles of TNT, built apart from one another to ensure that any accidental detonation didn’t destroy the whole area.
—Colin Dickey, Popular Mechanics, 31 Aug. 2023
The fierce competition hasn’t gone away for the federal government’s once-in-a-generation stockpile of infrastructure dollars.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Aug. 2023
The only solution is to properly destroy stockpiles of CFCs.
—Megesh Tiwari, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2023
The need to replenish stockpiles could yet reignite imports, which dropped to a three-month low in July.
—Time, 23 Aug. 2023
Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Sep. 2023
But fear not: the facility is stockpiled with a range of blasters from big to small to meet all your Nerf-ing needs.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2023
Four receivers isn’t enough for an NFL team on Sundays, and the decision comes after an offseason where Indianapolis stockpiled low-cost receivers with some level of experience, hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with one.
—The Indianapolis Star, 29 Aug. 2023
By early afternoon, several restaurant patios in downtown Palm Springs were crammed with visitors in bright tank tops and sunglasses, chattering over food that wasn’t stockpiled from Walmart.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2023
Customers cleared shelves and waited in long lines to stockpile bags of rice, reported NBC Dallas affiliate KXAS.
—Bobby Caina Calvan, Fortune, 29 July 2023
Under Elias, the Orioles have methodically worked to stockpile young talent, with those efforts beginning to pay off with a major league team that holds a one-game lead in the daunting American League East after Thursday night’s victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
—Nathan Ruiz, Baltimore Sun, 21 July 2023
Another common approach is a strategy to mitigate the impact of inflation on supply chains by stockpiling raw materials.
—Tasnim Ghiawadwala, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2023
Iran has been enriching uranium and stockpiling it as part of its advancing nuclear program.
—Jon Gambrell and Matthew Lee, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Aug. 2023
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Noun
The administration has until now rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's requests for the weapons, even after the United Kingdom and France have sent comparable Storm Shadow missiles, due to concerns both over escalation with Russia and of maintaining America's own stockpiles.
—Matt Seyler, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2023
The package is the 46th drawdown from current Defense Department stockpiles for Ukraine since August 2021.
—Eleanor Watson, CBS News, 6 Sep. 2023
After Huawei began running out of its stockpile of existing chipsets, rumors emerged that the company had been working on a 5G chip using technology sourced from China.
—Emma Roth, The Verge, 30 Aug. 2023
The attacks, often targeting critical civilian infrastructure, have had a devastating impact on Ukraine’s war effort, knocking critical power grids offline and destroying grain stockpiles, according to Vladyslav Vlasiuk, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
—Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 17 Aug. 2023
This had once been federal land, and during World War II, these structures were used to store stockpiles of TNT, built apart from one another to ensure that any accidental detonation didn’t destroy the whole area.
—Colin Dickey, Popular Mechanics, 31 Aug. 2023
The fierce competition hasn’t gone away for the federal government’s once-in-a-generation stockpile of infrastructure dollars.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Aug. 2023
The only solution is to properly destroy stockpiles of CFCs.
—Megesh Tiwari, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2023
The need to replenish stockpiles could yet reignite imports, which dropped to a three-month low in July.
—Time, 23 Aug. 2023
Verb
But Tod Hynes, senior lecturer in the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, said cleantech investment funds have stockpiled over $120 billion in cash over the past two years and are on the lookout for wise places to invest it.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Sep. 2023
But fear not: the facility is stockpiled with a range of blasters from big to small to meet all your Nerf-ing needs.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2023
Four receivers isn’t enough for an NFL team on Sundays, and the decision comes after an offseason where Indianapolis stockpiled low-cost receivers with some level of experience, hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with one.
—The Indianapolis Star, 29 Aug. 2023
By early afternoon, several restaurant patios in downtown Palm Springs were crammed with visitors in bright tank tops and sunglasses, chattering over food that wasn’t stockpiled from Walmart.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2023
Customers cleared shelves and waited in long lines to stockpile bags of rice, reported NBC Dallas affiliate KXAS.
—Bobby Caina Calvan, Fortune, 29 July 2023
Under Elias, the Orioles have methodically worked to stockpile young talent, with those efforts beginning to pay off with a major league team that holds a one-game lead in the daunting American League East after Thursday night’s victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
—Nathan Ruiz, Baltimore Sun, 21 July 2023
Another common approach is a strategy to mitigate the impact of inflation on supply chains by stockpiling raw materials.
—Tasnim Ghiawadwala, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2023
Iran has been enriching uranium and stockpiling it as part of its advancing nuclear program.
—Jon Gambrell and Matthew Lee, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stockpile.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Stockpile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stockpile. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.
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Kids Definition
stockpile
noun
stock·pile
ˈstäk-ˌpīl
: an extra supply especially of something necessary accumulated within a country for use during a shortage
stockpile
verb
More from Merriam-Webster on stockpile
Nglish: Translation of stockpile for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of stockpile for Arabic Speakers
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