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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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 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

In New York prisons and jails, the use of medications for opioid use disorder increased seven times over between 2022 and 2025.

— Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 3 Sep. 2026
In Miami-Dade, the estimate is a roughly 20% cut on the $3 billion in property taxes that fund county services, including jails, ambulances, police, transit and the Jackson Health hospital system.

— Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 2 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

For a more permanent fix, home improvement and hardware stores carry laminate repair pastes and pens that can cover blemishes.

— Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 8 Sep. 2026
As members of the press were filing into the theater, a representative for A24 handed them notebooks and pens.

— Rebecca Keegan, NBC news, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of pens

Noun

Donati said overweight dogs tend to have shorter lifespans than their leaner counterparts, while excess weight can also put additional strain on their joints.

— Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Your first interaction with half-and-half might have been those tiny cups that get tossed on the table at diners, fast food joints, and other less-than-fancy places.

— Alyse Whitney, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 Sep. 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 11 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of hocks

noun

verb

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