stock



not take stock in (something)

To not pay any attention to something; to have or invest no faith or belief in something; to not accept something. I wouldn't take stock in John's promises if I were you because, more often than not, he'll end up letting you down. I don't know how a company expects its managers to perform well when it doesn't take stock in their abilities.
See also: not, stock, take

not put stock in (something)

To not pay any attention to something; to have or invest no faith or belief in something; to not accept something. I wouldn't put stock in John's promises if I were you because, more often than not, he'll end up letting you down. I don't know how the company expects its managers to perform well when it doesn't put stock in their abilities.
See also: not, put, stock

put no stock in (something)

To not pay any attention to something; to have or invest no faith or belief in something; to not accept something. You'll put no stock in John's promises if you know what's good for you because, more often than not, he'll end up letting you down. I don't know how the company expects its managers to perform well when it puts no stock in their abilities.
See also: put, stock

laughing stock

A person who is the subject of mockery after a blunder. If I mess up this speech, I'll be the laughing stock of the school!
See also: laugh, stock

stand stock still

To not move at all. You kids need to stand stock still out here until the firemen are done investigating the building, OK? I didn't want my grandmother to catch me rooting through her jewelry box, so when I heard her in the hallway, I leaped into the closet and stood stock still.
See also: stand, still, stock

stock phrase

A well-known, overused phrase; a cliché. As this is a creative writing class, I don't want to see any stock phrases in your stories. Please rewrite this paragraph in your own words, instead of using stock phrases like "think outside the box."
See also: phrase, stock

put stock in

To pay attention to something; to have or invest faith or belief in something; to accept something. Often used in the negative. Oh, John is very dependable—I would put stock in his promises. Our managers put stock in their employees' abilities, and I think that definitely contributes to our company's success. Don't put stock in their criticism—they're just jealous.
See also: put, stock

have (something) in stock

to have merchandise available and ready for sale. Do you have extra large sizes in stock? Of course, we have all sizes and colors in stock.
See also: have, stock

in stock

to have merchandise available and ready for sale. Do you have extra-large sizes in stock? Of course, we have all sizes and colors in stock.
See also: stock

lock, stock, and barrel

Cliché everything. We had to move everything out of the house—lock, stock, and barrel. We lost everything—lock, stock, and barrel—in the fire.
See also: and, barrel

out of stock

not immediately available in a store; [for goods] to be temporarily unavailable. Those items are out of stock, but a new supply will be delivered on Thursday. I'm sorry, but the red ones are out of stock. Would a blue one do?
See also: of, out, stock

stock in trade

whatever goods, skills, etc., are necessary to undertake an activity of some kind. Of course I am glad to help. Packing household goods is my stock in trade.
See also: stock, trade

stock something (up) with something

to load something with a supply of something. Let's stock the wine cellar with good vintages this year. We will stock up our wine cellar with whatever is on sale.
See also: stock

stock up (with something)

to build up a supply of something. You had better stock up with firewood before the first snowstorm. Yes, I will stock up today.
See also: stock, up

stock up (with something)

to build up a supply of something. You had better stock up with firewood before the first snowstorm. Yes, I will stock up today.
See also: stock, up

take no stock in something

 and not take stock in something; not put (a lot) of stock in something
to pay no attention to someone; not to believe or accept something. I take no stock in anything John has to say. He doesn't take stock in your opinions either.
See also: stock, take

take stock (of something)

to make an appraisal of resources and potentialities. I spent some time yesterday taking stock of my good and bad qualities. We all need to take stock now and then.
See also: stock, take

lock, stock, and barrel

taking or including everything The soldiers received orders that they were to move, lock, stock and barrel, some 600 miles west.
See also: and, barrel

stock up (on something)

to buy a large amount of something so that you will have enough for future use When there's a storm coming we always stock up on food and candles.
See also: stock, up

take stock (of something)

to examine a situation carefully After two days of record snowfalls, millions of Americans began digging out and taking stock of storm damage.
See also: stock, take

a laughing stock

someone who does something very stupid which makes other people laugh at them (usually + of ) I can't cycle around on that old thing! I'll be the laughing stock of the neighbourhood.
See also: laugh, stock

lock, stock, and barrel

including all or every part of something He's been pressing for the organization to move, lock, stock, and barrel, from Paris to Brussels.
See also: and, barrel

cross as a bear

Grumpy, ill-humored, annoyed, as in Stay away from Claire; she's cross as a bear this morning. Unlike the earlier cross as two stocks, this survives even though the adjective cross for "ill-tempered" is otherwise not used much in America. It is sometimes amplified as cross as a bear with a sore head. [Early 1700s]
See also: bear, cross

in stock

Available for sale or use, on hand, as in We have several dozen tires in stock. The antonym, out of stock, means "not available for sale," usually only temporarily. For example, This item is out of stock now, but we expect a new order next week. [Early 1600s]
See also: stock

lock, stock, and barrel

The entirety; all of something. For example, Jean moved out of the house, lock, stock, and barrel. This expression alludes to the three elements of a firearm-the lock or firing mechanism, the stock or handle, and the barrel or tube. [Early 1800s]
See also: and, barrel

out of stock

see under in stock.
See also: of, out, stock

take stock

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]
See also: stock, take

take stock in

Trust, believe, attach importance to, as in He exaggerates so much that I don't take stock in anything he says. This term uses stock in the sense of "capital." [Second half of 1800s]
See also: stock, take

stock up

v.
1. To provide or furnish something with supplies: The bartender stocked up the bar with vodka. We stocked the house up with emergency supplies.
2. stock up on To gather and store a supply of something: We stocked up on canned goods before the storm came.
See also: stock, up

deal stock

n. a stock that is a takeover candidate. (Securities markets.) I try to spot the deal stocks early and buy them before others do.
See also: deal, stock

story stock

n. shares in a company that are bought because of an appealing story about the company. I never buy a story stock. By the time I hear about it, it’s already gone up as much as it ever will.
See also: stock, story

lock, stock, and barrel

To the greatest or most complete extent; wholly: an estate that was auctioned off lock, stock, and barrel.
See also: and, barrel

take stock

1. To take an inventory.
2. To make an estimate or appraisal, as of resources or of oneself.
See also: stock, take

take stock in

To trust, believe in, or attach importance to.
See also: stock, take

in stock

Available for sale or use; on hand.
See also: stock

out of stock

Not available for sale or use.
See also: of, out, stock

lock, stock, and barrel

The whole thing. A musket was made up of a flintlock mechanism that produced the power to launch the ball, a wooden stock that held the lock and the barrel, and the barrel through which the musket ball was propelled en route to its target. Put all three together and you have the whole shooting match. The phrase was first used in the early 19th century to mean an entire entity or quantity.
See also: and, barrel

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Patigul-Uyghur
Arisztid-Hungarian
JudithJOO-dith (English), zhoo-DEET (French), YOO-dit (German)English, Jewish, French, German, Spanish, Biblical
Hakim-Arabic
Yi-Chinese
DecimaDEK-i-maAncient Roman