dock

1 of 6

noun (1)

plural docks
1
a
: a place (such as a wharf or platform) for the loading or unloading of materials
b
: a usually wooden pier used as a landing place or moorage for boats
2
or docking station : a device in which a smartphone, digital camera, etc., is placed for charging, accessing a power supply, or connecting to another electronic device
3
: a usually artificial basin or enclosure for the reception of ships that is equipped with means for controlling the water height
4
5
: the combining site of a molecular receptor see receptor sense b
Previous research showed that marijuana receptors, specialized proteins that serve as docks for THC, are clustered in regions of the brain known to play a role in movement disorders such as Huntington's disease.Kathleen Fackelmann

dock

2 of 6

verb (1)

docked; docking; docks

transitive verb

1
: to haul or guide into or alongside a dock
2
: to connect an electronic device (such as a computer or a digital camera) to another device
dock the phone into the computer
3
: to join (two spacecraft) mechanically while in space

intransitive verb

1
: to come into or alongside a dock
2
: to become docked
3
: to combine with a molecular receptor see receptor sense b
These chemical messengers travel across a tiny cleft and dock at receptors along the surface of a muscle fiber.Bruce A. Dobkin

dock

3 of 6

verb (2)

docked; docking; docks

transitive verb

1
a
: to subject to a deduction
dock someone's wages
b
: to penalize by depriving of a benefit ordinarily due
especially : to fine by a deduction of wages
docked him for tardiness
c
: to take away a part of : abridge
2
a
: to cut (part of an animal, such as the ears or a tail) short
b
: to cut off the end of a body part of
specifically : to remove part of the tail of

dock

4 of 6

noun (2)

1
: the part of an animal's tail left after it has been shortened
2
: the solid part of an animal's tail as distinguished from the hair

dock

5 of 6

noun (3)

: the place in a criminal court where a prisoner stands or sits during trial

dock

6 of 6

noun (4)

1
: any of a genus (Rumex) of coarse weedy plants of the buckwheat family having long taproots and sometimes used as potherbs
2
: any of several usually broad-leaved weedy plants (as of the genus Silphium)
Phrases
in the dock
: on trial

Examples of dock in a Sentence

Noun (1) the boat remained tied up at the dock for a week, waiting for the weather to clear Verb (1) the cruise ship docked at the first port of call early the next morning Verb (2) the editorial was docked by about a hundred words to make it fit on the page the boxer's tail was docked soon after birth
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Like most river cruises, Uniworld (voted one of Travel + Leisure readers' favorite river cruise lines for 2024) offers the chance to dock right in town and walk off the ship without crowds or hassle. Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 2 Oct. 2024 Tourist, crew and special yacht tourism visas cater to the specific needs of international yacht visitors docking in Dubai. Dubai Tourism Contributor, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024 Once in orbit, the vehicle will separate from the rocket and power on to the International Space Station, where the crew is expected to dock Sunday evening on the forward-facing port of the outpost's Harmony module, NASA said. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 28 Sep. 2024 It is expected to take 28.5 hours for the spacecraft to autonomously dock to the space station at 5:30 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 29, while traveling 17,000 mph orbiting the Earth, according to NASA. Patricio Chile, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dock 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dock.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English dokke, probably from Middle Dutch docke

Noun (2)

Middle English dok, perhaps from Old English -docca (as in fingirdocca finger muscle); akin to Old High German tocka doll, Old Norse dokka bundle

Noun (3)

Dutch dialect (Flanders) docke cage

Noun (4)

Middle English, from Old English docce; akin to Middle Dutch docke dock

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb (1)

1600, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (3)

1586, in the meaning defined above

Noun (4)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dock was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near dock

Cite this Entry

“Dock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dock. Accessed 15 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

dock

1 of 5 noun
: any of a genus of coarse weedy plants which are related to the buckwheat and some of which are cooked for food

dock

2 of 5 verb
1
: to cut off the end of : cut short
a docked tail
2
: to take away a part of : make a deduction from
3
: to deprive of something due because of a fault
was docked for being late

dock

3 of 5 noun
1
: a usually artificial basin to receive ships that has gates to control the water height
2
3
: a wharf or platform for loading and unloading
4
: a usually wooden pier used as a landing place or moorage

dock

4 of 5 verb
1
: to bring or come into or alongside a dock
2
: to join (as two spacecraft) mechanically while in space

dock

5 of 5 noun
: the place in a court where a prisoner stands or sits during trial
Etymology

Noun

Old English docce "the dock plant"

Verb

Middle English docken "to cut off the end of a tail," from dok, docke "end of an animal's tail"

Noun

probably from early Dutch docke "ditch, dock"

Noun

from a Dutch dialect word docke "cage"

Medical Definition

dock

1 of 2 noun
: any plant of the genus Rumex

dock

2 of 2 intransitive verb
: to combine with a molecular receptor
the AIDS virus docked at the T cell receptor

Legal Definition

dock

noun
: the place in a criminal court where a prisoner stands or sits during trial compare bar, bench, jury box, sidebar, stand
Etymology

Noun

Dutch dialect docke, dok pen, cage

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