cork

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

a corked bottle of wine

a player who has been accused of illegally corking his bats

Recent Examples on the Web

Yee noticed some of the remaining trees, also dwarf jades, were developing corking bark. —Marie Saavedra, CBS News, 25 May 2026

Web-like striations or corking on jalapeño skins occur when plants are stressed by irregular watering, dry soil, or high heat. —Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 May 2026

The new Planning Department and BPDA are at best old wine in new bottles, if not corked wine in new bottles. —Martyn Roetter, Boston Herald, 3 May 2026

Silberman and his brother David worked in the winery and were in charge of corking bottles and placing them into carts. —Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 2 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cork

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

Rhymes for cork

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

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