HOCKS Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

hocks 1 of 2

noun

plural of hock

as in penitentiaries

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

outsides

hocks

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of hock

as in pawns

to leave as a guarantee of repayment of a loan the prince had to hock the family jewels to pay his gambling debts

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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 hocks

Noun

Southern field peas and smoky ham hocks go together like Johnny and June. — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 23 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hocks

Noun

Hodge says he was abused in multiple federal penitentiaries, but was frequently blocked from filing complaints about it.

— Christie Thompson, NPR, 13 July 2026
This includes providing the Colombian military more leeway in the field, signing a new security agreement with Washington and building 10 mega-prisons that mimic Bukele’s network of penitentiaries in El Salvador.

— Daniel DePetris, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026

Definition of penitentiaries

Verb

The manufacturing technology deposits continuous reinforcement during 3D printing.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026
Rather than dramatically changing your natural hair color, a gloss deposits tone onto the hair and can soften the appearance of gray while adding shine.

— Casey DelBasso, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of deposits

Noun

When women tried to march for their rights, they were violently suppressed, and by 2023, nearly all those in Afghan jails were political prisoners, and many were tortured.

— The Week US, TheWeek, 31 Aug. 2026
Filling empty beds The national incarceration rate – which includes both jails, for short-term detention, and prisons, for sentences of more than a year – has more or less crept downward since 2010.

— Ella Siegrist, The Conversation, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of jails

Verb

So my guess/belief/thought is that the executive trio is hoping for the best this year, but is unwilling to do anything that mortgages future seasons.

— Josh Kendall, New York Times, 9 July 2026
Those are the players in recent memory who’ve commanded the kind of draft capital that reshapes franchises — the sort of seismic move that mortgages a future and, in return, attaches expectations normally reserved for franchise-carrying superstars.

— Kristian Winfield, Hartford Courant, 22 Feb. 2026

Definition of mortgages

Noun

Inside a hotel conference room downtown, rapper/vocalists Johnny and Taeyong and singers Jaehyun, Haechan and Yuta are dutifully seated at a table with iced coffees, pens and notepads.

— Christine Terrisse, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Last week, biologists opened pens and freed two birds early, worried they might be killed.

— Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of pens

Noun

Philadelphia Zoo The zoo said Makini was humanely euthanized after months of arthritis significantly affected his joints, along with recent significant signs of weakness and difficulty navigating.

— Frederick Sutton Sinclair, CBS News, 22 Aug. 2026
In melanoma patients, Keytruda treatment can result in fatigue, diarrhea, rash and inflammation of joints and muscles, as well as of healthy organs in some cases.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of joints

Browse Nearby Words

hocking

hocks

hocus-pocus

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“Hocks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hocks. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of hocks

noun

verb

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