as in jail
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
some lowlife who had been in and out of hock most of his adult life
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to pawn
to leave as a guarantee of repayment of a loan
the prince had to hock the family jewels to pay his gambling debts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hock
Sheila Yount, Arkansas Online, 1 Aug. 2025
Heaped upon it: pork products representing every hue on the glistening spectrum from brown to pink (rosy ham hock, charred pork belly, thick shoulder slices, a common hot dog).
—Caity Weaver, The Atlantic, 5 June 2025
John Hollinger, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
If Emily can be in Paris and Rome, why can’t Robert be in Joshua Tree hocking ayahuasca?
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hock
Noun
While the addition of ham hocks, salt pork or bacon to a pot of peas certainly won't place the meal in the heart-healthy category, the peas themselves provide good nutrition.
—Sheila Yount, Arkansas Online, 1 Aug. 2025
Heaped upon it: pork products representing every hue on the glistening spectrum from brown to pink (rosy ham hock, charred pork belly, thick shoulder slices, a common hot dog).
—Caity Weaver, The Atlantic, 5 June 2025
Verb
Despite the league’s highest payroll and having already hocked any draft pick that wasn’t nailed down (some of them more than once), the Suns fell 15-18 on the season.
—John Hollinger, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
If Emily can be in Paris and Rome, why can’t Robert be in Joshua Tree hocking ayahuasca?
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hock
Noun
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Starting in the 1880s, the city and county each built a series of increasingly spacious jails—and then proceeded to fill them well above capacity each winter.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Grayson has been held in the Macon County jail ahead of his trial.—
Deena Zaru,
ABC News,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Manchester did steal a significant amount of video games from the store, and pawned them.—
Theoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Oct. 2025
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The outlet also reported, citing police, that McGriff was allegedly seen trying to pawn two phones in the Bronx on Tuesday, Sept. 9.—
Nicole Acosta,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Portlaoise Prison, which is in the center of Ireland, is a nineteenth-century penitentiary built like a fortress—a one-star establishment, at best.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
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If found guilty of a level 5 felony, Sanchez could be imprisoned anywhere from one to six years at an Indiana penitentiary and fined up to $10,000, according to the Indiana Code.—
Jade Jackson,
IndyStar,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In December 2015, Epstein’s employees deposited seven months’ worth of rent into Jane Doe’s Bank of America account, according to the suit.—
Chase Jordan
October 17,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Oct. 2025
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This design allows doctors to deposit the bio-ink exactly where it is needed without making any incision.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Regarding the lack of disciplinary records documenting policy violations, Payne placed blame on prison staff for failure to write Holt up for disciplinary violations.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 Oct. 2025
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In August 2024, Lorincz was convicted on the manslaughter charge, and in November, a judge sentenced her to 25 years in prison.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hock. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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