Meaning & use
put stock in
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiom
to believe that something is true or valuable; to trust or rely on something
Grammar: Used with an object after 'in': put stock in something. Often in questions or negatives.
Patterns
- put stock in something
- not put much stock in something
- put a lot of stock in something
I wouldn't put stock in that rumor if I were you.
She puts a lot of stock in her doctor's advice.
Do you put any stock in astrology?
Common combinations
- put much stock in
- He doesn't put much stock in online reviews.
- put little stock in
- They put little stock in the government's promises.
- put no stock in
- I put no stock in gossip.
- put a lot of stock in
- My parents put a lot of stock in education.
Synonyms and how they differ
- trust
- Trust is more general and can be used without 'in'; put stock in is more specific to believing in the value or truth of something.
- believe in
- Believe in can mean to have faith in someone's abilities or existence, while put stock in focuses on trusting the truth or reliability of information or advice.
- rely on
- Rely on means to depend on something for support, whereas put stock in means to believe in its truth or worth.
Opposites
Commonly confused: put stock in or take stock?
put stock in vs take stock
Take stock (of something) means to assess a situation, not to believe in it. Don't confuse the two phrases.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'put stock in' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Put stock in' means to believe in or trust something, so 'puts a lot of stock in her friend's opinion' is correct. The other options misuse the phrase with literal meanings of 'stock' or wrong prepositions.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “put stock in”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.