bock

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈbäk 

: a dark lager beer with a high alcohol content that has a strong flavor of malt and a mild flavor of hops and is typically sold in the winter or early spring

bock beer

2 of 2

noun (2)

variants or bock

: a heavy dark rich beer usually sold in the early spring

Examples of bock in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

According to the Bockfest site, bock beer is traditionally brewed for special occasions, with a particular link to spring due to German monks drinking it as a substitute for food during Lenten fasts. —Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Mar. 2026

By the early 20th century, and undoubtedly before that, the sight of an advertisement for bock beer, usually depicting a goat, became as ubiquitous a sign of spring as seeing the first robin. —Jay R. Brooks, Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2026

German beer styles are king in Italy, with many breweries making bocks, helles and pilsners. —Em Sauter, Forbes.com, 25 Feb. 2026

The annual festival features multiple bock beers from local craft breweries, a sausage cooking competition, live music, from local musicians, local vendors, and the highlight of the day, multiple heats of racing goat. —Kirby Adams, The Courier-Journal, 30 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

German, short for Bockbier, by shortening & alteration from Einbecker Bier, literally, beer from Einbeck, from Einbeck, Germany

Noun (2)

bock beer partial translation of German Bockbier, from Bavarian variants (as Oambock, Ambock, earlier Ainpöckisch Bier) of standard German Einbeckerbier, literally, "beer from Einbeck," from Einbeck, town in Hannover, Germany; bock borrowed from German, short for Bockbier

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1835, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1835, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bock

• balk
• baulk
• bloc
• broch
• brock
• calk
• caulk
• chalk
• chock
• clock
• cock
• croc