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

Verb

So too are editor Pauline Gaillard’s sharp cuts, which are often timed exactly to coincide with the moment that someone lost in faraway thought finishes swirling their mouthful of Pinot Noir and hocks it unceremoniously into a nearby receptacle. — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 11 Sep. 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 institution deposits the money and uses it to help pay for scholarships, travel, facilities, salaries and sports that might produce little revenue of their own.

— Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
The manufacturing technology deposits continuous reinforcement during 3D printing.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of deposits

Noun

And as the cops try to arrest them, only to realize their own jails aren’t accessible, the film expresses perfectly how the government trips over its own feet while resisting inevitable change.

— Glenn Garner, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2026
Across California, individuals experiencing psychiatric emergencies are repeatedly funneled into de facto psychiatric facilities like local jails instead of receiving timely clinical care.

— Kerry Martin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 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

In August, the Michigan House passed a legislative plan aimed at safety and transparency in the state's prisons following multiple inmate deaths.

— Nicholas Lentz, CBS News, 6 Sep. 2026
Look beyond the police, and the whole criminal justice system – prisons, the courts and probation service – is poorly run, and often in crisis.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of prisons

Noun

Klaudia hadn’t managed to take more than two steps out of the town car before the reporters descended, pens poised over their notepads, shouting until their voices peaked.

— Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
Nearly everything that survives of the rebels comes down through their enemies’ pens; Greengrass’ film reaches toward lives that history left largely unseen.

— JP Mangalindan, Time, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of pens

Noun

When Russians discovered karaoke, thousands of venues sprang up, from cheap sushi joints to lavish establishments where an orchestra and backup singers accompanied anyone willing to step onto the stage and, for a few minutes, feel like a star.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
For years, the two joints were fierce competitors during the city's pastrami wars.

— Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of joints

Browse Nearby Words

hocking

hocks

hocus-pocus

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Style

“Hocks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hocks. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of hocks

noun

verb

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