1
as in shortening
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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2
as in shaving
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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as in landing
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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Recent Examples of docking
Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 14 Apr. 2026
The space agency is already preparing for next year's Artemis III, which will see a new crew practice docking its capsule with a lunar lander in orbit around Earth.
—Arkansas Online, 12 Apr. 2026
The space agency is already preparing for next year’s Artemis III, which will see a new crew practice docking its capsule with a lunar lander in orbit around Earth.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026
The complex process, requiring two Starships equipped with docking adapters to meet up in orbit to transfer hundreds of tons of super-cooled propellant, is necessary for Starship to reach distant destinations like Mars.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2026
If all goes to plan, the first Artemis moon landing will come in late 2028, on the Artemis 4 mission (after Artemis 3 tests docking technology and techniques in low Earth orbit, or LEO).
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 6 Apr. 2026
The billionaire spacewalker slid in a new Artemis III for 2027 so astronauts could practice docking their Orion capsule with a lunar lander in orbit around Earth.
—Marcia Dunn, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
Those tests will include rendezvous and docking exercises between Orion and at least one commercial lunar lander.
—Charlie Gile, NBC news, 1 Apr. 2026
The test, called the Proximity Operations Demonstration, will enable the crew to safely practice docking Orion and piloting the capsule in manual mode, a step that will be necessary during future missions.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
In the next high-stakes mission set to launch next year, Artemis III astronauts will remain in Earth’s orbit and practice docking their Orion capsule with a commercial lunar lander, a critical step before any return to the moon.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 14 Apr. 2026
The space agency is already preparing for next year's Artemis III, which will see a new crew practice docking its capsule with a lunar lander in orbit around Earth.
—Arkansas Online, 12 Apr. 2026
The space agency is already preparing for next year’s Artemis III, which will see a new crew practice docking its capsule with a lunar lander in orbit around Earth.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026
The complex process, requiring two Starships equipped with docking adapters to meet up in orbit to transfer hundreds of tons of super-cooled propellant, is necessary for Starship to reach distant destinations like Mars.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2026
If all goes to plan, the first Artemis moon landing will come in late 2028, on the Artemis 4 mission (after Artemis 3 tests docking technology and techniques in low Earth orbit, or LEO).
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 6 Apr. 2026
The billionaire spacewalker slid in a new Artemis III for 2027 so astronauts could practice docking their Orion capsule with a lunar lander in orbit around Earth.
—Marcia Dunn, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
Those tests will include rendezvous and docking exercises between Orion and at least one commercial lunar lander.
—Charlie Gile, NBC news, 1 Apr. 2026
The test, called the Proximity Operations Demonstration, will enable the crew to safely practice docking Orion and piloting the capsule in manual mode, a step that will be necessary during future missions.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Docking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/docking. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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