I. ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun
Etymology: stock (I) + pile
1. : a pile of road metal stored on the roadside and used for road maintenance
2. : a storage pile or heap of material (as ore or coal) at the surface of a mine
3.
a. : a reserve supply of something essential (as processed food or a raw material) accumulated within a country for use during a shortage caused by emergency conditions (as war)
strengthen its civil defense stockpile of medical … supplies — D.D.Eisenhower
built up stockpiles of strategic metals — Richard Rutter
b. : something held to resemble such a stockpile : a gradually accumulated reserve of something and especially something vital or indispensable
the stockpile of basic research information has been seriously depleted — M.H.Trytten
avert stockpiles of unsold cars — Bert Pierce
assets include a stockpile of … celluloid comedies and dramas — Wall Street Journal
II. transitive verb
1. : to heap up (as coal or iron ore) : accumulate in piles
2. : to place or store in or on a stockpile
3. : to accumulate a stockpile of
stockpile war materials in Europe — A.O.Wolfers
intransitive verb
: to accumulate a stockpile