pork

noun

ˈpȯrk 

1

: the fresh or salted flesh of swine when dressed for food

2

: government funds, jobs, or favors distributed by politicians to gain political advantage

Examples of pork in a Sentence

We need to cut the pork out of the federal budget.

Recent Examples on the Web

Their specialty are the rojos de carne de puerco, tamales made with pork and red chile. — Laura Rodríguez Presa, Chicago Tribune, 26 Sep. 2026

The types of establishment vary widely, ranging from a tonkatsu pork cutlet restaurant in Hokkaido to cafes and soba shops in Kyoto's touristy areas, and a steakhouse on Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture. — Masayuki Oi Japan News, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026

Ground sage rounds out the smokiness of the pork with herbaceous, woodsy notes. — Inés Anguiano, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 Sep. 2026

And of course, the star of the show is The Fat One, which is a monster footlong hot dog topped with roasted pork, pepperoni, chili beans, cheddar cheese sauce, red onion sauce, pop fries and chives on a soft bun. — Emily Rella, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French porc pig, from Latin porcus — more at farrow

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pork

• pork barrel
• pork belly
• pork rind
• salt pork

Rhymes for pork

• bork
• dork
• fork
• stork
• torque
• pitchfork

Video

Words of the Year: 1066

English was never the same after the Norman Conquest

Kids Definition

pork

noun

ˈpō(ə)rk 

ˈpȯ(ə)rk

1

: the flesh of a pig used for food

2

: government funds, jobs, or favors distributed by politicians to gain political advantage

Etymology

Middle English pork "meat from a pig," from early French porc "pig," from Latin porcus "pig" — related to porcupine, porpoise see Word History at porpoise