pork

noun

ˈpȯrk 

1

: the fresh or salted flesh of swine when dressed for food

2

: government funds, jobs, or favors distributed by politicians to gain political advantage

Examples of pork in a Sentence

We need to cut the pork out of the federal budget.

Recent Examples on the Web

And, unwilling to buy votes in Congress outright, as his predecessors did, Arévalo has resorted to pork-barrel spending and raising congressional salaries to win legislative support. — Will Freeman, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026

Smoked pork, mojo mayo and authentic Cuban bread work perfectly together. — Justin Brown, AJC.com, 20 Sep. 2026

Molli Voraotsady, the chef, was up late Saturday night chopping the mushrooms and making the marinade for the pork filling. — Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026

Add the pork, oregano, cumin, black pepper, and crushed red pepper, and cook for about 6 minutes, stirring and breaking up the meat into small pieces with a spatula until no longer pink. — ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French porc pig, from Latin porcus — more at farrow

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pork

• pork barrel
• pork belly
• pork rind
• salt pork

Rhymes for pork

• bork
• dork
• fork
• stork
• torque
• pitchfork

Video

Words of the Year: 1066

English was never the same after the Norman Conquest

Kids Definition

pork

noun

ˈpō(ə)rk 

ˈpȯ(ə)rk

1

: the flesh of a pig used for food

2

: government funds, jobs, or favors distributed by politicians to gain political advantage

Etymology

Middle English pork "meat from a pig," from early French porc "pig," from Latin porcus "pig" — related to porcupine, porpoise see Word History at porpoise