plural socks
1
archaic
: a low shoe or slipper
2
also plural sox
ˈsäks 
: a knitted or woven covering for the foot usually worn under shoes and extending above the ankle and sometimes to the knee
: a knitted or woven covering for the foot usually worn under shoes and extending above the ankle and sometimes to the knee
3
a
: a shoe worn by actors in Greek and Roman comedy
b
: comic drama
socked; socking; socks
: to hit, strike, or apply forcefully
sock a home run
an area socked by a blizzard
: to deliver a blow : hit
: a vigorous or violent blow
also
: punch entry 3 sense 3
Phrases
sock it to
slang
: to subject to or as if to a vigorous assault
they may let you off the first time … but the second time they'll sock it to you—
James Jones
James JonesExamples of sock in a Sentence
Noun (1)
black socks to go with black pants and shoes
Verb
kept socking the punching bag until he was exhausted
Noun (2)
a wiseacre who deserves a good sock in the face
Recent Examples on the Web
Zach Berman, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Mead acknowledged that Kay’s wife has described Mead and another Angels staffer coming to the Kay home after a family intervention on the last day of the Angels season in 2017 and seeing in Kay’s room 60 pills divided up into baggies of 10 pills each, some hidden in socks or shoes.
—Sean Emery, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2025
The 170-grain slug socked him right between the horns.
—Bob Cary, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sock
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Noun
Rodgers wore his white socks high while running to the end zone.
—Zach Berman, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Mead acknowledged that Kay’s wife has described Mead and another Angels staffer coming to the Kay home after a family intervention on the last day of the Angels season in 2017 and seeing in Kay’s room 60 pills divided up into baggies of 10 pills each, some hidden in socks or shoes.
—Sean Emery, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
Ten years after his expulsion, Saleh’s third feature in the trilogy, after Boy From Heaven, socks it to Egypt’s military leaders and General Intelligence Service (GIS), and by implication al-Sisi.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2025
The 170-grain slug socked him right between the horns.
—Bob Cary, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sock
Cite this Entry
“Sock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sock. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sock
2 of 3 verb
: to hit, strike, or apply forcefully : deliver a blow
sock
3 of 3 noun
: a violent blow : punch
Etymology
Noun
Old English socc "a low shoe or slipper," from Latin soccus (same meaning)
Verb
origin unknown
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