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
Relevance
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
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 hock
Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 23 May 2026
The yoke itself is different in design compared to both what Tesla CEO Elon Musk tried, and failed, to hock; and what Lexus revealed, launched, but never brought to the U.S. market.
—Joel Feder, The Drive, 2 Apr. 2026
Greg Marotta, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2025
Bandcamp’s cut is 15% on digital sales and 10% when hocking physical stuff (t-shirts, vinyl, CDs, cassettes, etc).
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hock
Noun
Ambitious cooks can smoke their own hocks for double the meat.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 23 May 2026
The yoke itself is different in design compared to both what Tesla CEO Elon Musk tried, and failed, to hock; and what Lexus revealed, launched, but never brought to the U.S. market.
—Joel Feder, The Drive, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
Conversely, Soto was like the guy who hocks his wedding ring before the separation agreement is signed.
—Greg Marotta, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2025
Bandcamp’s cut is 15% on digital sales and 10% when hocking physical stuff (t-shirts, vinyl, CDs, cassettes, etc).
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hock
Noun
-
Abdulrahman Oriyomi, 25, was charged with felony impairing or interrupting operation of a critical infrastructure facility last week and was booked into jail in Harris County, Texas, on Friday, according to court records.—
Sneha Dhandapani,
CNN Money,
7 June 2026
-
Panahi was released from his latest stint in jail in February 2023 after going on hunger strike.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
There were 46 items in the safe, some of which Kisakye allegedly pawned and sold to feed a substantial gambling habit.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
3 June 2026
-
If a helmet is too outdated for your family to use, don't pawn it off on someone else.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
After a federal jury voted to convict him in early 2024, Hernández was sent to a notorious high-security penitentiary in West Virginia to serve his time.—
Keri Blakinger,
ProPublica,
11 June 2026
-
Mike Braun opened the Speedway Slammer at an Indiana prison, Jim Pillen opened the Cornhusker Clink at a Nebraska work camp, and Jeff Landry opened the Louisiana Lockup in a disused wing of Angola penitentiary.—
Eric Schlosser,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
The fine will be deposited into the state’s general fund and can be paid using campaign dollars.—
Grace Hase,
Mercury News,
12 June 2026
-
In simple terms, not every dollar deposited is actually available to spend.—
Michael Shribman,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
Tlaib, Pohutsky and more than 30 other current and former lawmakers last month signed a letter demanding that Washington resign, citing concerns about the conditions in state prisons and recent inmate deaths.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
7 June 2026
-
On Monday, the killer, a Sikh man, was sentenced to life in prison over the knife attack last December.—
Freddie Clayton,
NBC news,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hock. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
