stack

noun

/stæk/

Idioms

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[countable] stack (of something) a pile of something, usually neatly arranged
- a stack of books
- She added her tray to the stack.
see also haystack
Extra Examples
- She brought us a stack of pancakes covered with syrup.
- There was a towering stack of containers ready to be loaded onto the ship.
[countable] stack (of something) (informal, especially British English) a large number or amount of something; a lot of something
- stacks of money
- There's a stack of unopened mail waiting for you at the house.
- I've got stacks of work to do.
[countable] a tall chimney, especially on a factory see also chimney stack, smokestack
the stacks
[plural] the part of a library, sometimes not open to the public, where books that are not often needed are stored
- The books you need will have to be brought up from the stacks.
[countable] (computing) a way of storing information in a computer in which the most recently stored item is the first to be retrieved (= found or got back)Topics Computersc2
[countable] (geology) a tall thin part of a cliff that has been separated from the land and stands on its own in the sea

Word OriginMiddle English: from Old Norse stakkr ‘haystack’, of Germanic origin.

Idioms

blow your top

(North American English also blow your stack)

verb

/stæk/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they stack	/stæk/ /stæk/
he / she / it stacks	/stæks/ /stæks/
past simple stacked	/stækt/ /stækt/
past participle stacked	/stækt/ /stækt/
-ing form stacking	/ˈstækɪŋ/ /ˈstækɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

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[transitive, intransitive] to arrange objects neatly in a pile; to be arranged in this way
- stack (something) to stack boxes
- Do these chairs stack?
- stacking chairs
- stack something (up) (+ adv./prep.) logs stacked up against a wall
Extra Examples
- Boxes were stacked in piles all around the room.
- Stack the chairs up over there.
- The cases were stacked against the wall.
- The paintings were stacked in a corner of the room.
- The plates were neatly stacked on the draining board.
- The wood was collected up and carefully stacked away.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- carefully
- neatly
- away
- …
preposition
- against
- in
- on
- …
phrases
- be stacked in piles
See full entry
[transitive] stack something (with something) to fill something with piles of things
- They were busy stacking the shelves with goods.
- shelves stacked with boxes
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- carefully
- neatly
- away
- …
preposition
- against
- in
- on
- …
phrases
- be stacked in piles
See full entry
[intransitive, transitive] stack (something) (up) if aircraft stack (up) or are stacked (up) over an airport, there are several flying around waiting for their turn to landTopics Transport by airc2

Word OriginMiddle English: from Old Norse stakkr ‘haystack’, of Germanic origin.

Idioms

stack it

(informal) to fall over or off something, especially in a way that makes you look silly and makes other people laugh
- I tried a spin on the ice and stacked it.
- My heel got caught and I almost stacked it.