stockpile

1 of 2

noun

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

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

Synonyms

Noun

• cache
• hoard
• stash
• store

Verb

• cache
• hoard
• lay away
• lay by
• lay in
• lay up
• put by
• salt away
• squirrel (away)
• stash
• store
• stow
• treasure

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

Noun

Before the war, according to the same Wall Street Journal article, Qatar provided Hamas with monthly transfers of $15 million, helping to build a stockpile of around $500 million, much of it stored in Turkey. —Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 18 Apr. 2025

According to Bloomberg, Nintendo has built up a stockpile of Switch 2 consoles in the US to head off the tariffs. —Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 18 Apr. 2025

Verb

Rainwater tends to stockpile on the edges of roads. —Star-Telegram Weather Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2025

Meanwhile, several House Democrats that could run for his seat are stockpiling cash. —Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 17 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1872, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1921, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for stockpile

• argyle
• awhile
• beguile
• compile
• condyle
• defile
• erstwhile
• exile
• freestyle
• gentile
• hairstyle
• lifestyle

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