Stockpile Meaning
/ˈstɒkpaɪl/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA supply (especially a large one) of something kept for future use, specifically in case the cost of the item increases or if there a shortage.
nounA supply (especially a large one) of something kept for future use, specifically in case the cost of the item increases or if there a shortage., A supply of nuclear weapons kept by a country; a nuclear stockpile.
Sentence Examples
You should stockpile necessary supplies in case of a big earthquake.
Did you stockpile food and water?
CEFR Practice Quiz
The government plans to ____ food and water in case of an emergency.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The government decided to ____ essential medicines in case there was a major health emergency later.
Word Origin & History
The noun is derived from stock (“supply of anything ready for use”) + pile (“mass of things heaped together”). The verb is derived from the noun.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Under the rice subsidy program, Yingluck [Shinawatra]'s administration paid farmers up to 50 percent more than market prices for their rice. The policy was popular with farmers but left Thailand with huge rice stockpiles and caused $8 billion in losses."
— 2017 August 25, Amy Sawitta Lefevre, Panarat Thepgumpanat, “Thailand’s ousted PM Yingluck has fled abroad: sources”, in Reuters, archived from the original on 09 Jan 2022:
"He stockpiled weapons and took pot shots in the air / He feasted on their lovely bodies like a lunatic"
— 2007 June–July (date recorded), Nick Cave, “Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!”, in Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!, performed by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, published 18 February 2008:
"Shops' shelves were emptied on Friday as people began stockpiling food, with some unable to leave their homes due to the thigh-high snow."
— 2010 February 7, Adam Gabbatt, “Snow storms cause chaos on US east coast”, in The Guardian:
"He [Jeff Bezos] once suggested that, by paying college students on every Manhattan block to stockpile products in their apartments and to shuttle them up and down on bicycles, Amazon could edge towards near-instant delivery."
— 2019 November 21, Samanth Subramanian, “How our home delivery habit reshaped the world”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 11 Jul 2022:
"The RNC entered June with about $72.4 million in cash reserves, nearly five times the $15 million stockpiled by the DNC, as the two parties gear up for gubernatorial races this fall and next year’s costly midterm elections for Congress."
— 2025 June 21, Fredreka Schouten and Arit John, “The DNC’s cash crunch deepens as new filings show Republicans with a huge advantage”, in CNN:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The government plans to ____ food and water in case of an emergency.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The government decided to ____ essential medicines in case there was a major health emergency later.