the speech act of answering an attack on your assertions; "his refutation of the charges was short and persuasive"; "in defense he said the other man started it"
the service (electric power or water or transportation) provided by a public utility; "the cost of utilities never decreases"; "all the utilities were lost after the hurricane"
a facility composed of one or more pieces of equipment connected to or part of a structure and designed to provide a service such as heat or electricity or water or sewage disposal; "the price of the house included all utilities"
the quality of being of practical use
a company that performs a public service; subject to government regulation
(economics) a measure that is to be maximized in any situation involving choice
a medicine that has a mitigating effect on a specific disease; "quinine is a specific for malaria"
stated explicitly or in detail; "needed a specific amount"
(sometimes followed by `to') applying to or characterized by or distinguishing something particular or special or unique; "rules with specific application"; "demands specific to the job"; "a specific and detailed account of the accident"
being or affecting a disease produced by a particular microorganism or condition; used also of stains or dyes used in making microscope slides; "quinine is highly specific for malaria"; "a specific remedy"; "a specific stain is one having a specific affinity for particular structural elements"
relating to or distinguishing or constituting a taxonomic species; "specific characters"
the merchandise that a shop has on hand; "they carried a vast inventory of hardware"; "they stopped selling in exact sizes in order to reduce inventory"
the handle end of some implements or tools; "he grabbed the cue by the stock"
the handle of a handgun or the butt end of a rifle or shotgun or part of the support of a machine gun or artillery gun; "the rifle had been fitted with a special stock"
lumber used in the construction of something; "they will cut round stock to 1-inch diameter"
any of several Old World plants cultivated for their brightly colored flowers
a plant or stem onto which a graft is made; especially a plant grown specifically to provide the root part of grafted plants
persistent thickened stem of a herbaceous perennial plant
the capital raised by a corporation through the issue of shares entitling holders to an ownership interest (equity); "he owns a controlling share of the company's stock"
the reputation and popularity a person has; "his stock was so high he could have been elected mayor"
routine; "a stock answer"
have on hand; "Do you carry kerosene heaters?"
provide or furnish with a stock of something; "stock the larder with meat"
stock up on to keep for future use or sale; "let's stock coffee as long as prices are low"