docks 1 of 3

Definition of docksnext
plural of dock
as in wharves
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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docks

2 of 3

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of dock

docks

3 of 3

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of dock
as in lands
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 docks
Noun
Between damp docks, muddy trails, and the occasional drizzle, they were quickly soaked and scuffed. Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 27 Apr. 2026 Photos and videos of Chonkers hopping onto docks and perching among his smaller California sea lion friends have garnered thousands of views on social media. Greta Cross, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026 Nearly every waterway in Cheboygan County has overflowed its banks, with Black Lake, the Cheboygan River and other waterways inundating docks, roads, yards and nearby homes. Sarah Brumfield, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026 Next to it is a giant Goliath crane, which can lift up to 30,000 tons in a single heave; a gleaming white Royal Caribbean cruise ship sits just a few docks away. Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026 Along Beach Street in the Bayview Beach subdivision, where homes line a narrow channel off the river, docks and boats have been flooded over. Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026 Guests can fish or crab off the hotel's docks or have a picnic on the lawn. Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 19 Apr. 2026 Fearing the worst, the non-profit Ocracoke Foundation took out loans to buy the buildings and adjacent docks, then set a goal to have legally-binding historic preservation agreements put in place. Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 16 Apr. 2026 The ship docks in New York City on May 23rd. Marcy Thompson, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2026
Verb
If that's not enough, an alien ship soon docks nearby. S.c. Stuart, PC Magazine, 18 Mar. 2026 According to Military Sealift Command spokesman Joseph Davila, the SBX-1 typically docks at Ford Island every 12 to 18 months for maintenance. Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 29 Nov. 2025 The boy’s father, an exasperated man at the mercy of an Amazon-like delivery job that docks him for every second he so much as thinks about his son, is the only person who even wants to go through the effort of looking for him. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for docks
Noun
  • The wharves and warehouses along Pratt Street burned fiercely.
    Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2026
  • The infrastructure humans build in the water ‒ houses, piers, wharves, jetties, and even oil rigs ‒ create new habitats for juvenile jellyfish, called polyps, to attach and grow, Bologna said.
    N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Anyone who’s seen 2021’s Riverside Main Library, an equally futuristic building elevated on piers, will recognize the Geffen as a distant cousin.
    David Allen, Daily News, 23 Apr. 2026
  • Expensive stainless steel on the outer layer of rebar on the piers in the sea help prevent corrosion.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Wine is embedded in the city’s architecture, history and daily life, from grand 18th-century façades to the bustling quays of the Garonne.
    Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
  • According to Vantor, the image shows the construction of a dry dock and new quays and piers at one of China’s most strategically important bases.
    Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 8 Dec. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Docks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/docks. Accessed 2 May. 2026.

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