Meanings
plural stockpiles
- alsofigurativelyA 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.
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
present singular third person stockpiles · participle present stockpiling · participle past stockpiled · past stockpiled
- alsofigurativelytransitiveTo accumulate or build up a supply of (something).
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 20083 more examples
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 GuardianHe [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 2022The 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 - alsofigurativelyintransitiveTo build up a supply; to accumulate.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounsomething kept back or saved for future use or a special purpose
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
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.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian резе́рва, запас
- резе́рва (rezérva)supply of something kept for future use
- запас (zapas)supply of something kept for future use
- запасявам се (zapasjavam se)to accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
Chinese Mandarin 儲存 /储存, 庫存 /库存
- 儲存 /储存 (chúcún)supply of something kept for future use
- 庫存 /库存 (kùcún)supply of something kept for future use
Czech zásoba, zásobit
- zásobasupply of something kept for future use
- zásobitto accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
- zásobit seto accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
Dutch reserve, stapel
- reservesupply of something kept for future use
- stapelsupply of something kept for future use
- voorraadsupply of something kept for future use
- een voorraad aanleggento accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
- oplsaanto accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
Finnish varasto, varastoida
- varastosupply of something kept for future use
- varastoidato accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
French stock, réserve
- stocksupply of something kept for future use
- réservesupply of something kept for future use
- stockerto accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
- accumulerto accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
German Lager, Lagerhalde
- Lagersupply of something kept for future use
- Lagerhaldesupply of something kept for future use
- Vorratsupply of something kept for future use
- hamsternto accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
- hortento accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
Hungarian árukészlet, készletez
- árukészletsupply of something kept for future use
- készletezto accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
- tartalékolto accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
Icelandic varabirgðir, varaforði
- varabirgðirsupply of something kept for future use
- varaforðisupply of something kept for future use
- vopnabirgðirsupply of something kept for future use
- hamstrato accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
- koma upp varabirgðumto accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
- safna varabirgðumto accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
Italian ammasso, riserva
- ammassosupply of something kept for future use
- riservasupply of something kept for future use
- scortasupply of something kept for future use
- accumulareto accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
- ammassareto accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
- impilareto accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
Japanese 在庫
- 在庫 (zaiko)supply of something kept for future use
Māori pūkainga, whakapūranga
- pūkaingasupply of something kept for future use
- whakapūrangasupply of something kept for future use
- whakaputungasupply of something kept for future use
- whakapūrangato accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
- whakapututo accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
Polish zapas, zapasy
- zapassupply of something kept for future use
- zapasysupply of something kept for future use
- gromadzić zapasyto accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
Portuguese estoque, reserva
- estoquesupply of something kept for future use
- reservasupply of something kept for future use
- estocarto accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
Romanian stoc, rezervă
- stocsupply of something kept for future use
- rezervăsupply of something kept for future use
- stocato accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
Russian шта́бель, резе́рв
- шта́бель (štábelʹ)pile of coal or ore heaped up on the ground after it has been mined
- резе́рв (rezérv)supply of something kept for future use
- запа́с (zapás)supply of something kept for future use
- де́лать запа́сы (délatʹ zapásy)to accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
- нака́пливать (nakáplivatʹ)to accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
- штабели́ровать (štabelírovatʹ)to accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
Slovak zasoba
- zasobasupply of something kept for future use
Spanish acopio, reservas
- acopiosupply of something kept for future use
- reservassupply of something kept for future use
- acapararto accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
- acopiarto accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
- almacenarto accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
- hacer acopioto accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
Swedish förråd, lager
- förrådsupply of something kept for future use
- lagersupply of something kept for future use
- upplagsupply of something kept for future use
- hamstrato accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
- lagrato accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
Turkish stok, rezerv
- stoksupply of something kept for future use
- rezervsupply of something kept for future use
- yedeksupply of something kept for future use
- zulasupply of something kept for future use
- stokçuluk yapmakto accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
Vietnamese kho dự trữ, dự trữ
- kho dự trữsupply of something kept for future use
- dự trữto accumulate or build up a supply of (something)
Cite this entry
stockpile. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stockpile
“stockpile.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stockpile. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “stockpile,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stockpile.
Source: stockpile on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.