capital stock

American  

noun

1. the total stock authorized or issued by a corporation.

2. the book value of the outstanding shares of a corporation, including retained earnings and amounts paid in by stockholders.

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capital stock British  

noun

1. the par value of the total share capital that a company is authorized to issue

2. the total physical capital existing in an economy at any moment of time

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Etymology

Origin of capital stock

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

capital stock

But displacing truck drivers requires replacing an enormous physical capital stock: the trucks themselves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026

A larger capital stock will support productivity gains and boost wages and employment over time.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 7, 2026

“This shift, coupled with reduced short-term investment due to increased economic uncertainty, leads to a decline in the capital stock of 0.6% in 2030 and nearly 10% in 2054,” Wharton’s team noted.

From Barron's ● Feb. 20, 2026

One reason is what he called "capital stock turnover."

From Scientific American ● Mar. 21, 2023

Labourers, useful and productive, everywhere proportioned to the capital stock on which they are employed, 1, 2.

From An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Garnier, Germain