cork

1 of 2

noun

ˈkȯrk 

1

a

: the elastic tough outer tissue of the cork oak that is used especially for stoppers and insulation

b

: phellem

2

: a usually cork stopper for a bottle or jug

3

: a fishing float

cork

2 of 2

verb

corked; corking; corks

transitive verb

1

: to furnish or fit with cork or a cork

2

: to stop up with a cork

cork a bottle

3

: to blacken with burnt cork

corked faces

Examples of cork in a Sentence

Noun

the cork of a wine bottle

Verb

a corked bottle of wine

a player who has been accused of illegally corking his bats

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The cork footbed is ultra-cushiony to support your feet, and the wide toe box is roomy, so the shoe won’t squeeze your feet. —Nicol Natale, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024

Consider installing wine racks to store the bottles on their sides, which keeps the wine in contact with the cork and helps avoid drying it out, at least on that end. —Dave McIntyre, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024

The clever design is also practical as the cork ball that stops air, dust, and debris from getting into your glass. —Anna Smoot, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2024

In the novel, contemporary music for the plastic folk is things like corks popping and plane sounds, but that would have been too alien for human listeners. —Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2024

The thing that sets the Premier apart, at least for me, is the simple, straight Portuguese cork grip. —Max Inchausti, Field & Stream, 28 Mar. 2024

Take, for example, Paris Hilton–one of the most photographed women of the ’00s–who often gave the cork wedge a youthful Y2K twist. —Alex Kessler, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2024

The cork cabinet has a small door that opens on the side of the unit. —Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024

Beef and pork meatloaf coated in mashed potatoes formed a locomotive with a wine cork chimney and biscuit wheels on jerky tracks. —The Indianapolis Star, 27 Feb. 2024

Verb

Stubblefield bottled the sauce in old jam jars and Jack Daniel's bottles with the labels scraped off, corking them with a jalapeño. —Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2023

As the pressure rises, his brain jams downward through the only exit, corking bloodflow. —Oliver Broudy, Men's Health, 17 Aug. 2023

Cork Taint When a wine is described as corked, the culprit is something known as cork taint. —Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 21 Feb. 2023

Instead of corking up the pipes with too many silencers, Ferrari regulates sounds with bypass valves. —Mark Ewing, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2023

Cork Taint When a wine is described as corked, the culprit is something known as cork taint. —Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 21 Feb. 2023

Moreover, fragments of plaque in large arteries can break away to cork smaller vessels downstream. —Tony Dajer, Discover Magazine, 27 Aug. 2019

And the bottle should be opened by turning the bottle itself, not to cork. —Dana McMahan, The Courier-Journal, 20 Sep. 2022

Then re-cork or cover the opening of the bottle and give it a little shake. —Amelia Goe, The Arizona Republic, 2 July 2021

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, cork, bark, probably from Middle Dutch *kurk or Middle Low German korck, from Old Spanish alcorque, ultimately from dialect Arabic qurq, from Latin quercus oak — more at fir

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cork

• cork cambium
• pop the cork
• put a cork in it
• cork oak

Kids Definition

cork

1 of 2 noun

ˈkȯ(ə)rk 

1

a

: the elastic tough outer tissue of the cork oak used especially for stoppers and insulation

b

: the tissue of a woody plant making up most of the bark and arising from an inner cambium

2

: a usually cork stopper for a bottle or jug

3

: a fishing float

cork

2 of 2 verb

1

: to furnish, fit, or seal with a cork

cork a bottle

2

: to blacken with burnt cork

corked faces

Geographical Definition

Cork

geographical name

ˈkȯrk 

1

county of southwestern Ireland in Munster bordering on the Celtic Sea area 2880 square miles (7459 square kilometers), population 399,802

2

city and port at head of Cork Harbor, Ireland population 198,582

Note: The city of Cork is the capital of the county of Cork.