stock-still
Americanadjective
adverb
Etymology
Origin of stock-still
First recorded in 1425–75, stock-still is from late Middle English stok still. See stock, still 1
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.
She trains them to stand stock-still when a judge inspects them nose to tail, or trot in a circle without getting distracted by the crowd.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 31, 2026
Even if almost everyone in attendance lay on the ground stock-still.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2026
Michel Nkuka Mboladinga has supported the Democratic Republic of Congo by dressing up as the country's revered first leader Patrice Lumumba and remaining stock-still throughout every match.
From BBC • Jan. 8, 2026
You stand stock-still until it quiets down and slithers on its way.
From Slate • Aug. 19, 2023
It was so quiet that he half-thought he was imagining it, but he stood stock-still, straining to listen.
From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
