stack

stack1 [ stæk ] noun *

1. ) count a pile of things placed one on top of another:

stack of: a stack of unopened mail

There were stacks of books on the floor.

a ) a pile of things standing or lying together:

a stack of firewood

b ) a pile of HAY (=dry grass) or STRAW (=dry stems from a crop)

2. ) count a CHIMNEY (=a tube for letting smoke or gases escape into the air):

smokestack

3. ) the stacks plural the place in a library where books are stored and, where ordinary readers cannot go

4. ) count COMPUTING a system for storing information on a computer

a stack of or stacks of INFORMAL

a large quantity of something:

Prosecutors have produced a stack of evidence against him.

They were given stacks and stacks of toys.

stack

stack 2 [ stæk ] verb transitive *

1. ) stack or stack up to arrange things so that they stand one on top of another:

She began stacking dishes on the serving cart.

Cardboard boxes were stacked ceiling high.

a ) stack or stack up to put things so that they are standing together:

She was examining the paintings stacked against the wall.

b ) to fill a machine or space by putting things in it:

They went down to a small yard stacked high with garbage.

2. ) to make planes fly above or below other planes while waiting to land

be stacked against you

if something is stacked against you, it is unfair and will probably cause you to fail:

The evidence seems stacked against me.

the cards/odds are stacked against you

used for saying that you will have difficulty doing something, often because people are being unfair

,stack `up phrasal verb

1. ) intransitive if something stacks up, the amount of it increases all the time:

Despite the evidence stacking up against her, she still denies the claims.

2. ) transitive same as STACK 2 1:

The books had been stacked up in neat piles.

3. ) transitive same as STACK 2 1A:

She stacked the dishes up on the draining board.

4. ) intransitive or transitive to fly above or below other planes while waiting to land:

High winds forced planes to stack up over Kennedy.

5. ) intransitive INFORMAL to show how good or bad you are when compared to someone or something else:

Teachers will know how they stack up against national standards.