dock 1 of 3

noun

ˈdäk How to pronounce dock (audio)
Definition of docknext
as in wharf
a structure used by boats and ships for taking on or landing cargo and passengers the boat remained tied up at the dock for a week, waiting for the weather to clear

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dock

2 of 3

verb (1)

1
as in to shorten
to make less in extent or duration the editorial was docked by about a hundred words to make it fit on the page

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to shave
to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument the boxer's tail was docked soon after birth

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dock

3 of 3

verb (2)

as in to land
to stop at or near a place along the shore the cruise ship docked at the first port of call early the next morning

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dock
Noun
Grimaldi posted a video on her Instagram in which her family of three lay down together on a lakeside dock. — Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026 Also on the grounds are five ponds, waterfalls, a pool and spa, a tennis court, a dock, and a boathouse. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 27 July 2026
Verb
The vehicles, which date back to the 1960s, resemble buses that raise to dock at concourses and lower to travel, are often packed with mostly standing passengers and move among airport traffic. — Ayesha Ali, ABC News, 29 July 2026 Aesha has to briefly leave dinner service to help with the anchor, and despite the loud party boats, the darkness, and the trauma, the boat is docked with no further damage. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for dock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dock
  1. wharf
  2. shorten
  3. shave
  4. land
  5. pier
  6. cut back
  7. cut
  8. anchor
Noun
  • Shaking from a quake could damage wharves, piers, buildings and roadway above the seawall.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026
  • By the time Noe and his sons were back home and had moored the boat to their wharf on the narrow pass that separated Cheniere Disparue from the mainland, the last low clouds of the front hung over the Gulf.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026
Definition of wharf
Verb
  • Halpin, primarily leaned upon for his speed and defensive prowess, worked with hitting coach Grant Fink between games of a doubleheader Saturday on shortening his swing.
    — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 21 July 2026
  • That approach allows engineers to simplify development and shorten the path to production for platforms that do not require extended service lives.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 July 2026
Definition of shorten
Verb
  • Company demo footage also shows the reverse gear doubling as a cleanup tool, letting the mower retrace a path to shave down long grass more than twice its own height.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 22 July 2026
  • That pattern is your case for a warranty claim — not a reason to shave more aggressively.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026
Definition of shave
Verb
  • Surrounded by hundreds of butterflies fluttering between tropical plants inside the Powell Gardens Conservatory, Heidi Boehm watched as visitors stopped, looked upward and waited for one to land nearby.
    — Sophia Buonpane, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
  • After moving to New York after college in 2009, Ian started looking for a creative way to avoid paying rent, and landed on the idea of living aboard a sailboat.
    — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of land
Noun
  • Officials urged people to maintain a safe distance from the water and to stay away from jetties, piers, beachside rocks and other waterside infrastructure.
    — Tim Fang, CBS News, 31 July 2026
  • Lee heard similar stories while speaking with Wells’ loved ones on the pier.
    — Lorena O’Neil, Rolling Stone, 30 July 2026
Definition of pier
Verb
  • ChatGPT's Reddit citation share once dropped from about 60% of responses to 10% in a short period of time, before partly recovering, reportedly because OpenAI deliberately cut back on leaning so heavily on one source.
    — Tobias Fischer, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • Regularly cutting back on sleep could cause the number on the scale to creep up, according to new research.
    — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 26 July 2026
Definition of cut back
Verb
  • At the same time, the data shows, courts have severely cut the length of time many people are getting to prepare for complex immigration proceedings, from about six months to often just a little more than a month.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Using a paring knife, mark a smaller square inside each pastry square, leaving a 1/2 inch border (do not cut all the way through the dough).
    — Torie Cox, Southern Living, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of cut
Verb
  • Meanwhile, perennial bestsellers like gray and black will anchor the collection.
    — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 29 July 2026
  • The park’s iconic Botanical Building, which anchors a tranquil lily pond, recently reopened to the public after being closed for construction for nearly three years, and houses a collection of rare plants, ferns, orchids, and palms.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 July 2026
Definition of anchor

Browse Nearby Words

docility
dock
docked
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Cite this Entry

“Dock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dock. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on dock

Nglish: Translation of dock for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dock

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