take stock

Idioms

Make an estimate or appraisal, as in We have to take stock of our finances before we can undertake a new project, or The career counselor advised Mark to take stock before changing his plans. This expression transfers making an inventory of goods (stock) to other kinds of appraisal. [Early 1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

F1's bosses initially agreed to take stock of the rules after the first three races and analyse whether changes could be made.

From BBC

The woman took stock of my tattered clothes and overall filthiness.

From Literature

It is important now to take stock and remember that defeat will happen again at some point before the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

From BBC

AFP takes stock of the thorny issues on the table:

From Barron's

You pause, briefly, taking stock of the remaining contents of the fridge.

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023