dock

1 of 6

noun (1)

ˈdäk 

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

: slip entry 2 sense 1b

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

Synonyms of dock

Noun (1)

• wharf
• pier
• quay

Verb (1)

• land
• anchor
• arrive

Verb (2)

• shorten
• cut back

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

Noun

The sorting facility has a processing capacity of 2,000 pieces per hour for packages up to 50 kilograms, with 18 sorting chutes, 11 truck docks and 18 bag and box sorting conveyors. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 14 Nov. 2025

Spanning nearly 28,000 square feet, the nine-bedroom behemoth offers sweeping Biscayne Bay views and a 135-foot dock specifically built to accommodate large yachts. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 13 Nov. 2025

Verb

Controllers who take sick leave during a shutdown can be docked back pay, although controllers are also allowed to take sick time for illness or fatigue. —Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025

And on Saturday, the first all-electric boat competition in the world docked in the 305. —Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 10 Nov. 2025

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

Phrases Containing dock

• dry dock
• floating dock
• graving dock
• in the dock
• loading dock

Rhymes for dock

• balk
• baulk
• bloc
• bock
• broch
• brock
• calk
• caulk
• chalk
• chock
• clock
• cock

Kids Definition

dock

1 of 5 noun

ˈdäk 

: 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

: slip entry 2 sense 1b

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

ˈdäk 

: 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