hock

1 of 5

noun (1)

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

hock

3 of 5

verb (1)

hocked; hocking; hocks
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

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 See all Example Sentences for hock 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hock.' 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 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

Time Traveler
The first known use of hock was in 1540

Dictionary Entries Near hock

Cite this Entry

“Hock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hock. Accessed 16 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

hock

1 of 3 noun
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

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
: 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

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