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 WebSam Knight, The New Yorker, 20 June 2024
The weapons may be of lesser quality than Russia’s own, but have helped Russia replenish its dwindling stockpiles and keep pace with the weapons support Ukraine is receiving from the West, observers say.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN, 18 June 2024
Gary Phillips, Hartford Courant, 30 May 2024
During the 2014-2015 bird flu outbreak when more than 50 million chickens and turkeys died or were culled, the USDA stockpiled a bird flu vaccine.
—Jess Craig, Vox, 14 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for stockpile 
Noun
In 2021, under Boris Johnson, the U.K. stopped reducing its weapons stockpile and became the world’s only nuclear-armed country apart from China to openly rearm—with a plan to add up to eighty warheads, an increase of some forty per cent, by the mid-twenty-twenties.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 20 June 2024
The weapons may be of lesser quality than Russia’s own, but have helped Russia replenish its dwindling stockpiles and keep pace with the weapons support Ukraine is receiving from the West, observers say.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN, 18 June 2024
Verb
Heck, trading from an area of strength could also be an option, though the Yankees always prefer to stockpile rotation depth.
—Gary Phillips, Hartford Courant, 30 May 2024
During the 2014-2015 bird flu outbreak when more than 50 million chickens and turkeys died or were culled, the USDA stockpiled a bird flu vaccine.
—Jess Craig, Vox, 14 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for stockpile
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 29 Jun. 2024.
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