Stock vs. Stack — What's the Difference?

Goods available for sale.

(poker) The amount of money a player has on the table.

Shares of a company.

To pile objects atop one another.

Liquid made by simmering bones.

A chimney or vertical exhaust pipe.

Stock (also capital stock) is all of the shares into which ownership of a corporation is divided. In American English, the shares are collectively known as "stock".

A data structure in computing.

A supply accumulated for future use; a store.

To arrange in a stack.

The total merchandise kept on hand by a merchant, commercial establishment, warehouse, or manufacturer.

An orderly pile, especially one arranged in layers

All the animals kept or raised on a farm; livestock.

A large, usually conical pile of straw or fodder arranged for outdoor storage.

All the aquatic animals kept or raised in an aquaculture operation.

(Computers) A section of memory and its associated registers used for temporary storage of information in which the item most recently stored is the first to be retrieved.

A population of wild animals, especially of a species that is also farmed

A group of three rifles supporting each other, butt downward and forming a cone.

A kind of financial security granting rights of ownership in a corporation, such as a claim to a portion of the assets and earnings of the corporation and the right to vote for the board of directors. Stock is issued and traded in units called shares.

A chimney or flue.

The stock issued by a particular company

A group of chimneys arranged together.

Chiefly British The money invested in a corporation, including debt and equity.

A vertical exhaust pipe, as on a ship or locomotive.

Chiefly British A bond, especially a government bond.

An extensive arrangement of bookshelves.

The trunk or main stem of a tree or another plant.

The area of a library in which most of the books are shelved.

A plant or stem onto which a graft is made.

A stackup.

A plant or tree from which cuttings and slips are taken.

An English measure of coal or cut wood, equal to 108 cubic feet (3.06 cubic meters).

The original progenitor of a family line.

(Informal) A large quantity

The descendants of a common ancestor; a family line, especially of a specified character

To arrange in a stack; pile.

Ancestry or lineage; antecedents.

To load or cover with stacks or piles

The type from which a group of animals or plants has descended.

(Games) To prearrange the order of (a deck of cards) so as to increase the chance of winning.

A race, family, or other related group of animals or plants.

To prearrange or fix unfairly so as to favor a particular outcome

An ethnic group or other major division of the human race.

To direct (aircraft) to circle at different altitudes while waiting to land.

A group of related languages.

To form a stack

A group of related families of languages.

(heading) A pile.

The raw material out of which something is made.

A large pile of hay, grain, straw, or the like, larger at the bottom than the top, sometimes covered with thatch.

Paper used for printing.

A pile of similar objects, each directly on top of the last.

The broth in which meat, fish, bones, or vegetables are simmered for a relatively long period, used as a base in preparing soup, gravy, or sauces.

(UK) A pile of poles or wood, indefinite in quantity.

A main upright part, especially a supporting structure or block.

A pile of wood containing 108 cubic feet. (~3 m³)

Stocks(Nautical) The timber frame that supports a ship during construction.

An extensive collection

Often stocks A frame in which a horse or other animal is held for shoeing or for veterinary treatment.

A smokestack.

Stocks A device consisting of a heavy timber frame with holes for confining the ankles and sometimes the wrists, formerly used for punishment.

(heading) In computing.

(Nautical) A crosspiece at the end of the shank of an anchor.

(programming) A linear data structure in which items inserted are removed in reverse order (the last item inserted is the first one to be removed).

The wooden block from which a bell is suspended.

A stack data structure stored in main memory that is manipulated during machine language procedure call related instructions.

The rear wooden, metal, or plastic handle or support of a rifle, pistol, or automatic weapon, to which the barrel and mechanism are attached.

An implementation of a protocol suite (set of protocols forming a layered architecture).

The long supporting structure and mooring beam of field-gun carriages that trails along the ground to provide stability and support.

A combination of interdependent, yet individually replaceable, software components or technologies used together on a system.

A handle, such as that of a whip, a fishing rod, or various carpentry tools.

(math) A generalization of schemes in algebraic geometry and of sheaves.

The frame of a plow, to which the share, handles, coulter, and other parts are fastened.

(geology) A coastal landform, consisting of a large vertical column of rock in the sea.

A theatrical stock company.

(library) Compactly spaced bookshelves used to house large collections of books.

The repertoire of such a company.

(figuratively) A large amount of an object.

A theater or theatrical activity, especially outside of a main theatrical center

(military) A pile of rifles or muskets in a cone shape.

(Botany) Any of several Eurasian and Mediterranean plants of the genus Matthiola in the mustard family, especially M. incana, widely cultivated for its clusters of showy, fragrant, variously colored flowers.

(heading) In architecture.

(Games) The portion of a pack of cards or of a group of dominoes that is not dealt out but is drawn from during a game.

A number of flues embodied in one structure, rising above the roof.

(Geology) A body of intrusive igneous rock of which less than 100 square kilometers (40 square miles) is exposed.

A vertical drainpipe.

(Zoology) A compound organism, such as a colony of zooids.

A fall or crash, a prang.

Personal reputation or status

(bodybuilding) A blend of various dietary supplements or anabolic steroids with supposed synergistic benefits.

Confidence or credence

(aviation) A holding pattern, with aircraft circling one above the other as they wait to land.

A long white neckcloth worn as part of a formal riding habit.

(video games) The quantity of a given item which fills up an inventory slot or bag.

A broad scarf worn around the neck, especially by certain clerics.

(transitive) To arrange in a stack, or to add to an existing stack.

Rolling stock.

To arrange the cards in a deck in a particular manner.

To supply (a shop) with merchandise.

To take all the money another player currently has on the table.

To supply (a farm) with livestock.

(transitive) To deliberately distort the composition of (an assembly, committee, etc.).

To fill (a stream, for example) with fish.

To crash; to fall.

To keep for future sale or use.

(gaming) To operate cumulatively.

To provide (a rifle, for example) with a stock.

To place (aircraft) into a holding pattern.

(Obsolete) To put (someone) in the stocks as a punishment.

To collect precious metal in the form of various small objects such as coins and bars.

To gather and lay in a supply of something

(printing) To have excessive ink transfer.

To put forth or sprout new shoots. Used of a plant.

A large and to some degree orderly pile of hay, grain, straw, or the like, usually of a nearly conical form, but sometimes rectangular or oblong, contracted at the top to a point or ridge, and sometimes covered with thatch.

Kept regularly in stock

An orderly pile of any type of object, indefinite in quantity; - used especially of piles of wood. A stack is usually more orderly than a pile

Repeated regularly without any thought or originality; routine

A pile of wood containing 108 cubic feet.

Employed in dealing with or caring for stock or merchandise

A large quantity; as, a stack of cash.

Of or relating to the raising of livestock

A number of flues embodied in one structure, rising above the roof.

Used for breeding

A section of memory in a computer used for temporary storage of data, in which the last datum stored is the first retrieved.

Of or relating to a stock company or its repertoire.

The section of a library containing shelves which hold books less frequently requested.

Of or being a conventional character or situation that recurs in many literary or cinematic works.

To lay in a conical or other pile; to make into a large pile; as, to stack hay, cornstalks, or grain; to stack or place wood.

A store or supply.

To place in a vertical arrangement so that each item in a pile is resting on top of another item in the pile, except for the bottom item; as, to stack the papers neatly on the desk; to stack the bricks.

(operations) A store of goods ready for sale; inventory.

To select or arrange dishonestly so as to achieve an unfair advantage; as, to stack a deck of cards; to stack a jury with persons prejudiced against the defendant.

A supply of anything ready for use.

An orderly pile

Railroad rolling stock.

(often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent;

A stack of undealt cards made available to the players.

A list in which the next item to be removed is the item most recently stored (LIFO)

Farm or ranch animals; livestock.

A large tall chimney through which combustion gases and smoke can be evacuated

The population of a given type of animal (especially fish) available to be captured from the wild for economic use.

A storage device that handles data so that the next item to be retrieved is the item most recently stored (LIFO)

(finance) The capital raised by a company through the issue of shares. The total of shares held by an individual shareholder.

Load or cover with stacks;

The price or value of the stock of a company on the stock market.

Arrange in stacks;

A share in a company.

Arrange the order of so as to increase one's winning chances;

(figurative) The measure of how highly a person or institution is valued.

A large, orderly pile.

Any of several types of security that are similar to a stock, or marketed like one.

The raw material from which things are made; feedstock.

Broth made from meat (originally bones) or vegetables, used as a basis for stew or soup.

The type of paper used in printing.

Ellipsis of film stock

Plain soap before it is coloured and perfumed.

Stock theater, summer stock theater.

The trunk and woody main stems of a tree. The base from which something grows or branches.

(horticulture) The plant upon which the scion is grafted.

(by extension) Lineage, family, ancestry.

Any of the several species of cruciferous flowers in the genus Matthiola.

A handle or stem to which the working part of an implement or weapon is attached.

(firearm) The part of a rifle or shotgun that rests against the shooter's shoulder.

The handle of a whip, fishing rod, etc.

Part of a machine that supports items or holds them in place.

The headstock of a lathe, drill, etc.

The tailstock of a lathe.

A bar, stick or rod.

A ski pole.

(nautical) A bar going through an anchor, perpendicular to the flukes.

(nautical) The axle attached to the rudder, which transfers the movement of the helm to the rudder.

(geology) A pipe (vertical cylinder of ore)

A type of (now formal or official) neckwear.

A necktie or cravat, particularly a wide necktie popular in the eighteenth century, often seen today as a part of formal wear for horse riding competitions.

A piece of black cloth worn under a clerical collar.

A bed for infants; a crib, cot, or cradle

(folklore) A piece of wood magically made to be just like a real baby and substituted for it by magical beings.

(obsolete) A cover for the legs; a stocking.

A block of wood; something fixed and solid; a pillar; a firm support; a post.

A person who is as dull and lifeless as a stock or post; one who has little sense.

The longest part of a split tally stick formerly struck in the exchequer, which was delivered to the person who had lent the king money on account, as the evidence of indebtedness.

The frame or timbers on which a ship rests during construction.

Red and grey bricks, used for the exterior of walls and the front of buildings.

(biology) In tectology, an aggregate or colony of individuals, such as trees, chains of salpae, etc.

The beater of a fulling mill.

A thrust with a rapier; a stoccado.

To have on hand for sale.

To provide with material requisites; to store; to fill; to supply.

To allow (cows) to retain milk for twenty-four hours or more prior to sale.

To put in the stocks as punishment.

(nautical) To fit (an anchor) with a stock, or to fasten the stock firmly in place.

To arrange cards in a certain manner for cheating purposes; to stack the deck.

Of a type normally available for purchase/in stock.

Having the same configuration as cars sold to the non-racing public, or having been modified from such a car.

Straightforward, ordinary, just another, very basic.

The stem, or main body, of a tree or plant; the fixed, strong, firm part; the trunk.

The stem or branch in which a graft is inserted.

A block of wood; something fixed and solid; a pillar; a firm support; a post.

Hence, a person who is as dull and lifeless as a stock or post; one who has little sense.

The principal supporting part; the part in which others are inserted, or to which they are attached.

The wood to which the barrel, lock, etc., of a rifle or like firearm are secured; also, a long, rectangular piece of wood, which is an important part of several forms of gun carriage.

The original progenitor; also, the race or line of a family; the progenitor of a family and his direct descendants; lineage; family.

The handle or contrivance by which bits are held in boring; a bitstock; a brace.

Money or capital which an individual or a firm employs in business; fund; in the United States, the capital of a bank or other company, in the form of transferable shares, each of a certain amount; money funded in government securities, called also the public funds; in the plural, property consisting of shares in joint-stock companies, or in the obligations of a government for its funded debt; - so in the United States, but in England the latter only are called stocks, and the former shares.

The block of wood or metal frame which constitutes the body of a plane, and in which the plane iron is fitted; a plane stock.

Same as Stock account, below.

The wooden or iron crosspiece to which the shank of an anchor is attached. See Illust. of Anchor.

Supply provided; store; accumulation; especially, a merchant's or manufacturer's store of goods; as, to lay in a stock of provisions.

The support of the block in which an anvil is fixed, or of the anvil itself.

Domestic animals or beasts collectively, used or raised on a farm; as, a stock of cattle or of sheep, etc.; - called also live stock.

A handle or wrench forming a holder for the dies for cutting screws; a diestock.

That portion of a pack of cards not distributed to the players at the beginning of certain games, as gleek, etc., but which might be drawn from afterward as occasion required; a bank.

The part of a tally formerly struck in the exchequer, which was delivered to the person who had lent the king money on account, as the evidence of indebtedness. See Counterfoil.

A thrust with a rapier; a stoccado.

A covering for the leg, or leg and foot; as, upper stocks (breeches); nether stocks (stockings).

A kind of stiff, wide band or cravat for the neck; as, a silk stock.

A frame of timber, with holes in which the feet, or the feet and hands, of criminals were formerly confined by way of punishment.

The frame or timbers on which a ship rests while building.

Red and gray bricks, used for the exterior of walls and the front of buildings.

Any cruciferous plant of the genus Matthiola; as, common stock (Matthiola incana) (see Gilly-flower); ten-weeks stock (M. annua).

An irregular metalliferous mass filling a large cavity in a rock formation, as a stock of lead ore deposited in limestone.

A race or variety in a species.

In tectology, an aggregate or colony of persons (see Person), as trees, chains of salpæ, etc.

The beater of a fulling mill.

A liquid or jelly containing the juices and soluble parts of meat, and certain vegetables, etc., extracted by cooking; - used in making soup, gravy, etc.

Raw material; that out of which something is manufactured; as, paper stock.

A plain soap which is made into toilet soap by adding perfumery, coloring matter, etc.

To lay up; to put aside for future use; to store, as merchandise, and the like.

To provide with material requisites; to store; to fill; to supply; as, to stock a warehouse, that is, to fill it with goods; to stock a farm, that is, to supply it with cattle and tools; to stock land, that is, to occupy it with a permanent growth, especially of grass.

To suffer to retain milk for twenty-four hours or more previous to sale, as cows.

To put in the stocks.

Used or employed for constant service or application, as if constituting a portion of a stock or supply; standard; permanent; standing; as, a stock actor; a stock play; a stock phrase; a stock response; a stock sermon.

The capital raised by a corporation through the issue of shares entitling holders to an ownership interest (equity);

Liquid in which meat and vegetables are simmered; used as a basis for e.g. soups or sauces;

The merchandise that a shop has on hand;

A supply of something available for future use;

Not used technically; any animals kept for use or profit

The descendants of one individual;

The handle of a handgun or the butt end of a rifle or shotgun or part of the support of a machine gun or artillery gun;

The reputation and popularity a person has;

A special variety of domesticated animals within a species;

Lumber used in the construction of something;

A certificate documenting the shareholder's ownership in the corporation;

Any of various ornamental flowering plants of the genus Malcolmia

A plant or stem onto which a graft is made; especially a plant grown specifically to provide the root part of grafted plants

Any of several Old World plants cultivated for their brightly colored flowers

The handle end of some implements or tools;

Persistent thickened stem of a herbaceous perennial plant

An ornamental white cravat

Have on hand;

Equip with a stock;

Supply with fish;

Supply with livestock;

Stock up on to keep for future use or sale;

Provide or furnish with a stock of something;

Put forth and grow sprouts or shoots;

Repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse;

Routine;

Regularly and widely used or sold;

The trunk or main stem of a tree.

To supply or equip.

Yes, especially in computing, where it refers to a data structure.

Generally, yes, if it's possible to place items atop one another.

No, stock can also refer to the shares of a company.

It means the item is available for purchase in the store's inventory.

It means to compare in terms of quality or capability.

As merchandise, by purchase price; as shares, by market price.

Yes, they both can refer to goods held for sale.

No, but some shapes are more conducive to stable stacking.

Not literally; it's typically for inanimate objects.

Not usually; it's primarily about physical arrangement.

It means to accumulate a large quantity of something.

Yes, in the context of company shares or stock options.

Yes, such as stocking shelves with products.

Yes, it means to arrange in a stack.

You can buy shares through a stock exchange or broker.