Stocks are shares in the ownership of a company, or investments on which a fixed amount of interest will be paid.

A company's stock is the amount of money which the company has through selling shares.

If a shop stocks particular goods, it keeps a supply of them to sell.

A shop's stock is the total amount of goods which it has available to sell.

If you stock something such as a cupboard, shelf, or room, you fill it with food or other things.

If you have a stock of things, you have a supply of them stored in a place ready to be used.

The stock of something is the total amount of it that is available in a particular area.

If you are from a particular stock, you are descended from a particular group of people.

Stock are cattle, sheep, pigs, or other animals which are kept by a farmer, usually ones which have been specially bred.

A stock answer, expression, or way of doing something is one that is very commonly used, especially because people cannot be bothered to think of something new.

Stock is a liquid, usually made by boiling meat, bones, or vegetables in water, that is used to give flavour to soups and sauces.

In former times, the stocks were an instrument of punishment. A criminal's hands and legs were locked into holes in a wooden frame while people threw things at them.

If goods are in stock, a shop has them available to sell. If they are out of stock, it does not.

If you take stock, you pause to think about all the aspects of a situation or event before deciding what to do next.