cork

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: the elastic tough outer tissue of the cork oak that is used especially for stoppers and insulation
b
2
: a usually cork stopper for a bottle or jug
3
: a fishing float

cork

2 of 2

verb

corked; corking; corks

transitive verb

1
: to furnish or fit with cork or a cork
2
: to stop up with a cork
cork a bottle
3
: to blacken with burnt cork
corked faces

Examples of cork in a Sentence

Noun the cork of a wine bottle Verb a corked bottle of wine a player who has been accused of illegally corking his bats
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The designers eschewed the terra-cotta touches that are common in Provençal interiors, opting instead for soft-hued natural materials such as cork floors and burl wood furnishings. John Wogan Juliet Izon Gisela Williams Lindsey Tramuta Julia Halperin Jameson Montgomery, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 Between this style’s natural cork footbed that molds to your foot over time and its neutral style that’ll go with everything in your wardrobe, this shoe is a must-have for travelers. Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 28 Feb. 2024 Once the cork is exposed, simply place the corkscrew over the cork, and pull the lever up. Maya Polton, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Feb. 2024 Hundreds of sports event media passes hang haphazardly on a cork board on one wall, while 47 Bruce Springsteen tickets and a concert set list are thumb-tacked, willy-nilly, to another board on a nearby wall. Cynthia Billhartz Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2024 The sandals’ natural cork footbed helps cushion the feet, too, along with a pronounced arch, a deep heel cup, and a spacious toe box. Nicol Natale, Peoplemag, 17 Feb. 2024 The team also opted to use lightweight cork during the application and leveling of the teak decking rather than other higher-density alternatives. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 15 Feb. 2024 The facility’s new artificial turf fields also use cork instead of rubber to avoid microplastic pollution. Vitas Carosella, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024 The bottle opener starts upon contact and automatically pulls the cork out of the bottle and then automatically ejects the cork from the opener. Maya Polton, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Feb. 2024
Verb
Stubblefield bottled the sauce in old jam jars and Jack Daniel's bottles with the labels scraped off, corking them with a jalapeño. Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2023 As the pressure rises, his brain jams downward through the only exit, corking bloodflow. Oliver Broudy, Men's Health, 17 Aug. 2023 Cork Taint When a wine is described as corked, the culprit is something known as cork taint. Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 21 Feb. 2023 Instead of corking up the pipes with too many silencers, Ferrari regulates sounds with bypass valves. Mark Ewing, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2023 Cork Taint When a wine is described as corked, the culprit is something known as cork taint. Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 21 Feb. 2023 Moreover, fragments of plaque in large arteries can break away to cork smaller vessels downstream. Tony Dajer, Discover Magazine, 27 Aug. 2019 And the bottle should be opened by turning the bottle itself, not to cork. Dana McMahan, The Courier-Journal, 20 Sep. 2022 Then re-cork or cover the opening of the bottle and give it a little shake. Amelia Goe, The Arizona Republic, 2 July 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cork.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, cork, bark, probably from Middle Dutch *kurk or Middle Low German korck, from Old Spanish alcorque, ultimately from dialect Arabic qurq, from Latin quercus oak — more at fir

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cork was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near cork

Cite this Entry

“Cork.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cork. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cork

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: the elastic tough outer tissue of the cork oak used especially for stoppers and insulation
b
: the tissue of a woody plant making up most of the bark and arising from an inner cambium
2
: a usually cork stopper for a bottle or jug
3
: a fishing float

cork

2 of 2 verb
1
: to furnish, fit, or seal with a cork
cork a bottle
2
: to blacken with burnt cork
corked faces

Geographical Definition

Cork

geographical name

1
county of southwestern Ireland in Munster bordering on the Celtic Sea area 2880 square miles (7459 square kilometers), population 399,802
2
city and port at head of Cork Harbor, Ireland population 198,582

Note: The city of Cork is the capital of the county of Cork.

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