stockpile

American  

[stok-pahyl] / ˈstɒkˌpaɪl /

noun

stockpiles plural

1. a supply of material, as a pile of gravel in road maintenance.

2. a large supply of some metal, chemical, food, etc., gathered and held in reserve for use during a shortage or during a period of higher prices.

3. a quantity, as of munitions or weapons, accumulated for possible future use.

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verb (used with object)

stockpiles, present (3rd person singular) stockpiled, past participle, past stockpiling present participle

1. to accumulate (material, goods, or the like) for future use; put or store in a stockpile.

verb (used without object)

stockpiles, present (3rd person singular) stockpiled, past participle, past stockpiling present participle

1. to accumulate in a stockpile.

stockpile British  

/ ˈstɒkˌpaɪl /

verb

1. to acquire and store a large quantity of (something)

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noun

1. a large store or supply accumulated for future use

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• stockpiler
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• stockpiles
  plural

Participles

• stockpiling
  present
• stockpiled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• stockpile
  simple
• stockpiles
  simple
• have stockpiled
  perfect
• has stockpiled
  perfect
• am stockpiling
  progressive
• are stockpiling
  progressive
• is stockpiling
  progressive
• have been stockpiling
  perfect progressive
• has been stockpiling
  perfect progressive

Past

• stockpiled
  simple
• had stockpiled
  perfect
• was stockpiling
  progressive
• were stockpiling
  progressive
• had been stockpiling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will stockpile
  simple
• will have stockpiled
  perfect
• will be stockpiling
  progressive
• will have been stockpiling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of stockpile

First recorded in 1915–20; stock + pile ¹

Explanation

A stockpile is a large amount of something that you save for later. If you're worried about running out of your favorite flavor of bubble gum, you might decide to keep a stockpile of it. If you hear the word stockpile on the news, it's probably referring to weapons which are accumulated and saved by a country that might need to use them some day in the future. You can use stockpile to describe the actual cache of weapons and also as a verb, to describe the act of storing them. The word was originally a mining term that literally described a pile of ore. During World War II, stockpile became a more general term.

Example Sentences

The U.S. government uses El Capitan to help maintain its nuclear-weapons stockpile, among other tasks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 24, 2026

Much of the stockpile is believed to be inside underground tunnels at the Isfahan site.

From BBC • Jun. 24, 2026

In discussing the matter, Hahn also called for the county to look into establishing an emergency stockpile of air purifiers and other critical supplies to better prepare for future disasters.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2026

US Marine Corps plans for a crisis-ready stockpile in Australia are part of a "growing US footprint" in the country and important for national security, Defence Minister Richard Marles said Wednesday.

From Barron's • Jun. 17, 2026

On a nearby shelf, I spotted a small stockpile of candles.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

Related Words

• accumulation
• buildup
• cache
• hoard
• inventory
• nest egg
• reserve
• stash
• stock
• surplus