Word.ws English Dictionary

stocks

/stɒks/US/stɑks/

stocks is the plural of stock.

stocks is the third-person singular simple present indicative of stock.

Noun

stocks

  1. (plural, plural-only) A device, similar to a pillory, formerly used for public humiliation and punishment.
    • Opposite the almshouses is the bow-fronted post office and shop, while near by, beneath the trees on the green, is the old whipping post and stocks, the latter pierced by five holes.1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 54
  2. (plural, plural-only) The frame upon which a ship is built, and from which it is launched.

Meaning of stock

Noun

stock (countable and uncountable, plural stocks or (obsolete) stocken)

  1. A store or supply.
    1. (operations) A store of goods ready for sale; inventory.
      • We have a stock of televisions on hand.
    2. A supply of anything, stored until used; especially, such a supply that is ready for use.
      • Lay in a stock of wood for the winter season.
    3. Railroad rolling stock.
      • The Grand Trunk Railway had just purchased a large order of stock from the American Car and Foundry Company.
    4. A stack of undealt cards made available to the players.
    5. Farm or ranch animals; livestock.
      • Good ranchers must continually keep watch over the health of their stock.

See all 53 meanings of stock

Proper noun capitalized: Stocks

Stocks

  1. A surname.

Words formed from stocks

Phrases with stocks

37 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with stocks

23 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about stocks

What does stocks mean?
Stocks means a device, similar to a pillory, formerly used for public humiliation and punishment.
What is stocks the plural of?
Stocks is the plural of stock.
What part of speech is stocks?
Stocks can be a noun or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce stocks?
Stocks is pronounced /stɒks/ (UK).

Words near stocks in the dictionary

  1. stockrider
  2. stockriders
  3. Stockrington
  4. stockroom
  5. stockrooms
  6. stocks
  7. stocks down
  8. stocks in trade
  9. stocks of record
  10. stocks up
  11. Stocksbridge

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: stocks (page history and authors); Stocks (page history and authors); stock (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-stocks.wav.

Cite this entry: “stocks.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/stocks. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.