Meaning & use
put too much stock
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiom
To trust or rely on someone or something more than is reasonable or wise.
Grammar: Used as a verb phrase. It is always followed by 'in' and an object: put too much stock in a rumor.
Patterns
- put too much stock in someone
- put too much stock in something
My brother puts too much stock in what his friends say about cars.
Don't put too much stock in a single online review; read several before you decide.
She put too much stock in the weather forecast and didn't take an umbrella.
Common combinations
- put too much stock in someone
- He puts too much stock in his colleague's advice, even when it is wrong.
- put too much stock in something
- Investors who put too much stock in social media tips often lose money.
- don't put too much stock in
- Don't put too much stock in what you read online; check the facts first.
- put too much stock in rumors
- The team put too much stock in rumors and made a poor decision.
Synonyms and how they differ
- overrely
- Overrely is more formal and does not need 'in' before the object; you overrely on something, while you put too much stock in it.
- trust too much
- This is a plain phrase, not an idiom, and it can be used without 'in'; it is more direct but less colorful.
Opposites
Commonly confused: put too much stock or take stock?
put too much stock vs take stock
Take stock (of something) means to think carefully about a situation before deciding what to do; it does not involve trusting someone too much.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'put too much stock' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The idiom is always followed by 'in': put too much stock in something. The other prepositions (on, at, for) are not used with this phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “put too much stock”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.