stack / stak/ • n. 1. a pile of objects, typically one that is neatly arranged: a stack of boxes. ∎  (a stack of/stacks of) inf. 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 stereo 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 , used to store books compactly. ∎  Comput. a set of storage locations that store data in such a way that the most recently stored item is the first to be retrieved.2. a chimney, esp. one on a factory, or a vertical exhaust pipe on a vehicle. ∎  (also sea stack) a column of rock standing in the sea, remaining after erosion of cliffs.• v. [tr.] 1. arrange (a number of things) in a pile, typically a neat one: the books had been stacked up in three piles she stood up, beginning to stack the plates. ∎  fill or cover (a place or surface) with piles of things, typically neat ones: 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.2. shuffle or arrange (a deck of cards) dishonestly so as to gain an unfair advantage. ∎  (be stacked against/in favor of) used to refer to a situation that is such that an unfavorable or a favorable outcome is overwhelmingly likely: the odds were stacked against Fiji in the World Cup they found the courts stacked in favor of timber interests.3. [intr.] (in snowboarding) fall over.PHRASES: stack arms place a number of rifles with their butts on the ground and the muzzles together.PHRASAL VERBS: stack up1. (or stack something up) form or cause to form a large quantity; build up: cars stack up behind every bus, while passengers stand in line to pay fares.2. inf. measure up; compare: our rural schools stack up well against their urban counterparts. ∎  make sense; correspond to reality: to blame the debacle on the antics of a rogue trader is not credible—it doesn't stack up.DERIVATIVES: stack·a·ble adj.stack·er n.

stack
1. (pushdown stack; pushdown list; LIFO list) A linear list where all accesses, insertions, and removals are made at one end of the list, called the top. This implies access on a last in first out (LIFO) basis: the most recently inserted item on the list is the first to be removed. The operations push and pop refer respectively to the insertion and removal of items at the top of the stack. Stacks occur frequently in computing and in particular are closely associated with recursion.

2. Loosely, a linear list where accesses, insertions, and removals are made at one end or both ends of the list. This includes a pushdown stack, described above. When the earliest inserted item on the linear list is the first to be removed (first in first out, FIFO), it is a pushup stack, more properly known as a queue. When insertions and deletions may be made at both ends, it is a double-ended queue, or deque.

A stack may be implemented in hardware as a specialized kind of addressless memory, with a control mechanism to implement any of the insertion/removal regimes. See also stack processing.

stack
1. Pillar or block of rock, with nearvertical sides, standing adjacent to a present or former sea cliff. Typically it has been isolated from the main cliff by wave erosion concentrated along steeply inclined joints or faults.

2. The product of stacking. A ‘brute’ or ‘final’ stack is the end product of the standard processing of seismic-reflection data; the data can be processed further, e.g. by migration programs to produce a ‘migration’ stack.

Stack

a large quantity; a group or set; an orderly pile or heap; bookstacks collectively ; a unit of measure for coal or fuel (4 cubic yards).

Examples : stack of arms; of beans, 1795; of Bibles; of billets; of bills; of books; of buildings, 1698; of conventions, 1896; of cornmills, 1772; of salt fish, 1596; of letters; of money, 1894; of statutes, 1581; of wood, 1460.

stack A pillar or block of rock, with near-vertical sides, which stands adjacent to a present or former sea cliff. Typically, it has been isolated from the main cliff by wave erosion concentrated along steeply inclined joints or faults.