pock

1 of 2

noun

: a pustule in an eruptive disease (such as smallpox)
also : a spot suggesting such a pustule

pock

2 of 2

verb

pocked; pocking; pocks

transitive verb

: to mark with or as if with pocks : pit

Examples of pock in a Sentence

Noun noticed strange pocks on his torso Verb one of the many craters that pock the moon's surface
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
They were riddled with lesions, pock marks and holes. Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 9 Feb. 2024 Barks, not the pock of tennis balls, were heard across the sunny, 40-acre (16-hectare) grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Jennifer Peltz, ajc, 6 May 2023 After Carey’s stay, the home’s wooden floors had to be replaced—to the tune of $90,000—thanks to pock marks from her high heels. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 30 Mar. 2023 The cars, parked next to a basketball goal, are riddled with pock marks. Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2023 His sallow legs are stippled with acid pock marks. Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2022 In the five years since Bentley released his last studio album, 2018’s The Mountain, and went into Rocky Mountain exile, open divisions and infighting driven by political differences and the culture wars have pock-marked the genre. Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2023 Each pock on the fruit’s exterior is called an achene, and each achene is an individual fruit with a corresponding seed in the interior. Elsbeth Sites, Discover Magazine, 12 Aug. 2014 In more corrosive water, the once-pristine shells become flaked and pock-marked—a harbinger of an early death. WIRED, 2 Nov. 2022
Verb
Today, a chain-link fence wraps around the historic landmark pocked with peeling paint. Catherine Muccigrosso, Charlotte Observer, 22 Feb. 2024 Today, those boys — ages 5 and 1 — are displaced, hungry and terrified, their insides churning from contaminated water and their faces pocked with shrapnel wounds. Anastacia Galouchka, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024 Packed snow covered the ground, pocked with hoof prints. Kate Brody, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2024 The vista along Seventh Street NW is pocked with vacant storefronts, including those once occupied by Urban Outfitters and Bed Bath & Beyond. Paul Schwartzman, Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2023 More than 30 people somehow cram each night into a next-door room under a roof pocked with bullet holes. Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 26 Nov. 2023 The analysis also found deep disruption in the agricultural sector: 36% of greenhouses have been destroyed or damaged, and some 1,023 fields are pocked with craters. NBC News, 11 Nov. 2023 Kevin Kiermaier, 33, CF, 3.9, 35.5: In a market pocked with offense-first outfielders, the four-time Gold Glove winning Kiermaier (including in 2023) will appeal to teams wanting to shore up their defense. Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2023 The building’s roof is pocked with gaping holes, and insulation hangs down into hallways. Becca Savransky, ProPublica, 6 Sep. 2023

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

Middle English pokke, from Old English pocc; akin to Middle Low German & Middle Dutch pocke pock

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1841, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near pock

Cite this Entry

“Pock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pock. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pock

noun
ˈpäk
: a small swelling on the skin like a pimple (as in chicken pox or smallpox)
also : the scar it leaves

Medical Definition

pock

noun
: a pustule in an eruptive disease (as smallpox)

More from Merriam-Webster on pock

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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