hock

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈhäk 

1

a

: the tarsal joint or region in the hind limb of a digitigrade quadruped (such as the horse) corresponding to the human ankle but elevated and bending backward see horse illustration

b

: a joint of a fowl's leg that corresponds to the hock of a quadruped

2

: a small cut of meat from a front or hind leg just above the foot

ham hocks

hock

2 of 5

noun (2)

often capitalized

chiefly British

: rhine wine sense 1

hock

3 of 5

verb (1)

hocked; hocking; hocks

transitive verb

: pawn

hocker noun

hock

4 of 5

noun (3)

1

a

: pawn entry 2 sense 2

got his watch out of hock

b

: debt sense 2

in hock to the bank

2

: prison

hock

5 of 5

verb (2)

hocked; hocking

transitive verb

US, informal

: to forcefully spit out (something, such as phlegm)

hock a loogie

hock a wad of tobacco

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• pawn
• pledge

Noun (3)

• bastille
• big house [slang]
• bridewell
• brig
• calaboose
• can
• clink [slang]
• cooler
• coop
• guardroom
• hold
• hoosegow
• jail
• jailhouse
• joint [slang]
• jug
• lockup
• nick [British slang]
• pen
• penitentiary
• pokey [slang]
• prison
• quod [British slang]
• slam
• slammer
• stir [slang]
• stockade
• tolbooth [Scottish]

Examples of hock in a Sentence

Verb (1)

the prince had to hock the family jewels to pay his gambling debts

Noun (3)

some lowlife who had been in and out of hock most of his adult life

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

So what is a ham hock, really, and what are the best ham hock recipes to put it to good use? —Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Sep. 2024

Ham Hocks Although not much to look at, ham hocks pack a huge smoky-porky punch of flavor. —Josh Miller, Southern Living, 14 July 2024

Pitiful are the collards without the ham hock, the peppers without the sausage, the snap peas without the shrimp. —Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 1 July 2024

Coppola last went into hock for another long-aborning and cost-overrunning project, which 45 years ago, almost to the day, also premiered at Cannes: the now legendary Apocalypse Now (1979). —Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English hoch, hough, from Old English hōh heel; akin to Old Norse hāsin hock

Noun (2)

modification of German Hochheimer, from Hochheim, Germany

Noun (3) and Verb (1)

Dutch hok pen, prison

Verb (2)

variant of hawk entry 3

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

circa 1625, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

1878, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1883, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (2)

1990, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing hock

• in hock

Kids Definition

hock

1 of 3 noun

ˈhäk 

1

: the region in the hind limb of a four-footed animal (as the horse) that corresponds to the human ankle

2

: a small cut of meat from either the front or hind leg just above the foot especially of a pig

ham hocks

hock

2 of 3 verb

: pawn entry 3

hock

3 of 3 noun

: pawn entry 2 sense 2

got the ring out of hock

Etymology

Noun

Old English hōh "heel"

Noun

from Dutch hok "pen, prison"

Medical Definition

hock

noun

ˈhäk 

: the joint or region of the joint that unites the tarsal bones in the hind limb of a digitigrade quadruped (as the horse) and that corresponds to the human ankle but is elevated and bends backward