✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

stockpile

1 of 2

noun

stock·​pile ˈstäk-ˌpī(-ə)l How to pronounce stockpile (audio)
Synonyms of stockpilenext
: 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

stockpile

2 of 2

verb

stockpiled; stockpiling; stockpiles

transitive verb

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The early delivery, officials said, is part of a broader push to update the US nuclear stockpile as global threats grow and Cold War-era systems reach the end of their service lives. Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 25 Nov. 2025 That is why the Chinese Communist Party is racing to stockpile tools, components and spare parts. Bill Huizenga, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
Verb
Rainwater tends to stockpile on the edges of roads. Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 1 Dec. 2025 The restart follows the recommissioning of the Kayelekera processing plant and the production of the first dried and drummed yellowcake in August 2025, using ore stockpiled from previous mining campaigns. Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 25 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for stockpile

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1872, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1921, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stockpile was in 1872

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stockpile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stockpile. Accessed 6 Dec. 2025.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!