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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

The simple combo of navy beans, smoked ham hocks, onion, and butter is still the best way to start a meal here. — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 5 Oct. 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

Mexico has 276 prisons, including 14 federal penitentiaries and 249 state prisons.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
Hodge says he was abused in multiple federal penitentiaries, but was frequently blocked from filing complaints about it.

— Christie Thompson, NPR, 13 July 2026

Definition of penitentiaries

Verb

There’s no shortage of hotels to choose from, but guests of the Table Bay have prime access, thanks to an elevator in the lobby that deposits them right by Woolworth’s.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Oct. 2026
LendingPoint approves loans for as little as $1,000, and typically deposits funds as soon as the next business day after signing.

— Dan Avery, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of deposits

Noun

The $1 million would come from the same pool of mostly property-tax dollars that fund police, jails, parks and transit.

— Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026
And the administration persuaded more and more local police and jails to carry out the president’s mass deportation campaign, sweeping still more immigrants into custody.

— Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 14 Oct. 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

Fewer than half of the 170,000 inmates released from California prisons between 2015 and 2019 found jobs, and many of those jobs were temporary, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

— Cathie Anderson, Sacbee.com, 18 Oct. 2026
For several years, people in custody, advocates and local media have sounded the alarm about the dangers posed by extreme temperatures in Pennsylvania’s state prisons.

— Jaquelyn Jahn, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of prisons

Noun

For about five days, the murres rotate between the drying pens — which blow warm air on the birds — and 80-degree pools of water inside the clinic.

— Stephanie Zappelli, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Of the 14 horses who live in immaculate pens on the property, the majority were rescued from kill pens.

— Lisa Hughes, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of pens

Noun

In larger establishments you might be given your own table; in smaller joints you'll be squeezed onto a bench elbow to elbow with strangers.

— Lee Cobaj, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
Changing levels by getting up and sitting down requires your muscles, joints and nervous system to coordinate strength, mobility and balance while controlling your body weight.

— Dana Santas, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 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 24 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of hocks

noun

verb

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