Definition for stack - Oxford Dictionaries Online (World English)

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	stack (stack) Pronunciation: /stak/ noun 1a pile of objects, typically one that is neatly arranged: a stack of* boxes* (a stack of/stacks of) informal a large quantity of something: there’s stacks of work for me now a rectangular or cylindrical pile of hay or straw or of grain in sheaf. a vertical arrangement of hi-fi or guitar amplification equipment. a number of aircraft flying in circles at different altitudes around the same point while waiting for permission to land at an airport. a pyramidal group of rifles. (the stacks) units of shelving in part of a library normally closed to the public, used to store books compactly: the demand for items from the stacks [as modifier]: the new premises provided a reading room and a stack room Computing a set of storage locations which store data in such a way that the most recently stored item is the first to be retrieved. 2a chimney, especially one on a factory, or a vertical exhaust pipe on a vehicle. (also sea stack) British a column of rock standing in the sea, remaining after erosion of cliffs. 3British a measure for a pile of wood of 108 cu. ft (3.06 cubic metres). verb [with object] 1arrange (a number of things) in a pile, typically a neat one: the books had been stacked up* in neat piles* she stood up, beginning to stack the plates fill or cover (a place or surface) with stacks of things: he spent most of the time stacking shelves cause (an aircraft) to fly in circles while waiting for permission to land at an airport: I hope we aren’t stacked for hours over Kennedy 2shuffle or arrange (a pack of cards) dishonestly so as to gain an unfair advantage: I know the cards are stacked figurative Texas’s capital punishment law stacks the deck* in favour of death over prison* (be stacked against/in favour of) used to refer to a situation which is such that an unfavourable or a favourable outcome is overwhelmingly likely: the odds were stacked against Fiji in the World Cup 3 [no object] (in snowboarding) fall over. Phrasal Verbs stack up 1 (or stack something up) form or cause to form a large quantity; build up: cars stack up behind every bus 2North American informal measure up; compare: our rural schools stack up well against their urban counterparts [usually with negative] make sense: to blame the debacle on the antics of a rogue trader is not credible—it doesn’t stack up Derivatives stackable adjective stacker noun Origin: Middle English: from Old Norse stakkr 'haystack', of Germanic origin		Search results in the dictionary soil stack chimney stack blow one's top or chiefly North American lid or stack in blow¹ smokestack More results » Nearby Words stable girl stable lad Stableford stableman stablemate stabling stablish staccato staccato mark stack stacked stackyard staddle stadium stadtholder Staël, Mme de staff ¹ staff ² staff association