socket

noun

sock·et | \ ˈsä-kət

Definition of socket

(Entry 1 of 2)

: an opening or hollow that forms a holder for something an electric bulb socket the eye socket

socket

verb

socketed; socketing; sockets

Definition of socket (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to provide with or support in or by a socket

Examples of socket in a Sentence

Noun

She plugged the lamp into the socket. He screwed the lightbulb into the socket. His shoulder popped out of its socket.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

No more chargers randomly sticking out of wall sockets. 2. — ELLE Decor, "You've "Smartified" Your Home, But Are You Sacrificing Style?," 4 Oct. 2017 Power Transformer: Converts the 120 volts of power from the wall socket to a higher AC voltage and sends it to the rectifier tubes. — Kevin Dupzyk, Popular Mechanics, "What a Fender Amp Looks Like When You Tear It Apart," 24 Mar. 2015 Simply plug it in between your light fixture and wall socket, then place the controller on a table or nightstand. — Emma Bazilian, House Beautiful, "Why All Of Your Lamps Need Plug-In Dimmers," 26 Jan. 2019 Shoulder replacements of the entire ball and socket have become more successful for people with severe arthritis or irreparable rotator cuff tears. — Trihealth, Cincinnati.com, "Don’t shoulder the pain," 10 July 2018 The stages of SpaceX's Falcon 9 separate with a mechanical ball-and-socket system instead of using the industry standard: explosives. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "SpaceX Can't Hire International Rocket Scientists Even If It Wants To," 28 Sep. 2016 The reality star has well and truly mastered the art of rocking barely-there clothes, usually resulting in an outfit that might understandably leave your eyeballs hanging out of their sockets. — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "Kim Kardashian Just Wore What's Possibly Her Most Naked Dress Ever," 18 Dec. 2018 That’s also probably why the power sockets on most EVs are in about the same places and covered by the same flaps as fuel caps of yore. — Vlad Savov, The Verge, "The future of electric car design has yet to be written," 5 Oct. 2018 The ball of this ball-and-socket joint had been flattened by wear and tear, and its no-longer-smooth surface was now in direct contact with the bony cup of the socket. — Lisa Sanders, New York Times, "The Patient Had Pain When He Walked, but There Was a More Telling Change," 27 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

This processor is paired with up to 64GB socketed, user-serviceable RAM. — Peter Bright, Ars Technica, "Mac mini review—a testament to Apple’s stubbornness," 23 Nov. 2018 The processor is socketed, along with some other components, but the machine was not designed to be upgraded or serviced in this way. — Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, "The iMac Pro is now available—here’s how people are already using it," 14 Dec. 2017 Men who couldn’t handle a drill and socket wrench if their lives depended on it love a good duct tape challenge. — Southern Living, "Why Southerners Love "Duck" Tape," 1 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'socket.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Learn More about socket

Dictionary Entries near socket

socket-and-spigot joint

socket chisel

socket head screw

Statistics for socket

Last Updated

23 May 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for socket

The first known use of socket was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for socket

socket

noun

English Language Learners Definition of socket

: a device in a wall into which an electric cord can be plugged

: an opening on a piece of electrical equipment into which a plug, light bulb, etc., fits

: a hollow part in a bone that holds an eye, a tooth, or another bone

See the full definition for socket in the English Language Learners Dictionary

socket

noun

sock·et | \ ˈsä-kət

Kids Definition of socket

: a small opening or hollow part that forms a holder for something an eye socket an electric socket

socket

noun

sock·et | \ ˈsäk-ət

Medical Definition of socket

: an opening or hollow that forms a holder for something: as

a : any of various hollows in body structures in which some other part normally lodges the bony socket of the eye an inflamed tooth socket especially : the depression in a bone with which the rounded head of another bone fits in a ball-and-socket joint

b : a cavity terminating an artificial limb into which the bodily stump fits — see suction socket