stock meaning and definition

STOCK noun

Definition of stock (noun)

1. the capital raised by a corporation through the issue of shares entitling holders to an ownership interest (equity)
   • "he owns a controlling share of the company's stock"
2. the merchandise that a shop has on hand
   • "they carried a vast inventory of hardware"; "they stopped selling in exact sizes in order to reduce inventory"
   • synonyms: inventory
3. the handle of a handgun or the butt end of a rifle or shotgun or part of the support of a machine gun or artillery gun
   • "the rifle had been fitted with a special stock"
   • synonyms: gunstock
4. a certificate documenting the shareholder's ownership in the corporation
   • "the value of his stocks doubled during the past year"
   • synonyms: stock certificate
5. a supply of something available for future use
   • "he brought back a large store of Cuban cigars"
   • synonyms: fund, store
6. the descendants of one individual
   • "his entire lineage has been warriors"
   • synonyms: ancestry, blood, blood line, bloodline, descent, line, line of descent, lineage, origin, parentage, pedigree, stemma
7. a special variety of domesticated animals within a species
   • "he experimented on a particular breed of white rats"; "he created a new strain of sheep"
   • synonyms: breed, strain
8. liquid in which meat and vegetables are simmered; used as a basis for e.g. soups or sauces
   • "she made gravy with a base of beef stock"
   • synonyms: broth
9. the reputation and popularity a person has
   • "his stock was so high he could have been elected mayor"
10. persistent thickened stem of a herbaceous perennial plant
    • synonyms: caudex
11. a plant or stem onto which a graft is made; especially a plant grown specifically to provide the root part of grafted plants
12. any of several Old World plants cultivated for their brightly colored flowers
    • synonyms: gillyflower
13. any of various ornamental flowering plants of the genus Malcolmia
    • synonyms: Malcolm stock
14. lumber used in the construction of something
    • "they will cut round stock to 1-inch diameter"
15. the handle end of some implements or tools
    • "he grabbed the cue by the stock"
16. an ornamental white cravat
    • synonyms: neckcloth
17. any animals kept for use or profit
    • synonyms: farm animal, livestock

STOCK verb

Definition of stock (verb)

1. have on hand
   • "Do you carry kerosene heaters?"
   • synonyms: carry, stockpile
2. equip with a stock
   • "stock a rifle"
3. supply with fish
   • "stock a lake"
4. supply with livestock
   • "stock a farm"
5. amass so as to keep for future use or sale or for a particular occasion or use
   • "let's stock coffee as long as prices are low"
   • synonyms: buy in, stock up
6. provide or furnish with a stock of something
   • "stock the larder with meat"
7. put forth and grow sprouts or shoots
   • "the plant sprouted early this year"
   • synonyms: sprout

STOCK adjective

Definition of stock (adjective)

1. repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
   • "bromidic sermons"; "his remarks were trite and commonplace"; "hackneyed phrases"; "a stock answer"; "repeating threadbare jokes"; "parroting some timeworn axiom"; "the trite metaphor `hard as nails'"
   • synonyms: banal, commonplace, hackneyed, old-hat, shopworn, threadbare, timeworn, tired, trite, well-worn
2. routine
   • "a stock answer"
3. regularly and widely used or sold
   • "a standard size"; "a stock item"
   • synonyms: standard