hock

1 of 5

noun (1)

1
a
: the tarsal joint or region in the hind limb of a digitigrade quadruped (such as the horse) corresponding to the human ankle but elevated and bending backward see horse illustration
b
: a joint of a fowl's leg that corresponds to the hock of a quadruped
2
: a small cut of meat from a front or hind leg just above the foot
ham hocks

hock

2 of 5

noun (2)

often capitalized
chiefly British

hock

3 of 5

verb (1)

hocked; hocking; hocks
hocker noun

hock

4 of 5

noun (3)

1
a
: pawn entry 2 sense 2
got his watch out of hock
b
: debt sense 2
in hock to the bank
2
: prison

hock

5 of 5

verb (2)

hocked; hocking

transitive verb

US, informal
: to forcefully spit out (something, such as phlegm)
hock a loogie
hock a wad of tobacco

Examples of hock in a Sentence

Verb (1) the prince had to hock the family jewels to pay his gambling debts
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The smoky ham hock really is the star of this dish. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 5 Feb. 2024 If using ham hocks, remove any meat from the bone, cut it into small cubes and stir into the soup. Ali Slagle, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024 Get The Recipe 07 of 10 Creamy Potato-And-Ham Hock Slow-Cooker Soup Use the rest of your Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter ham hock in this hands-off slow-cooker soup. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 31 Jan. 2024 Black women simmered beans in pots all day with the least desirable cuts of meat — ham hocks, pigs feet, portions their captors thought beneath consumption — while they and their families were forced to labor in cane fields. Emiene Wright, Charlotte Observer, 4 Jan. 2024 The brightness of the cabbage and celery will balance out the heavy turkey and potatoes, and because there are no ham hocks or other meat products involved, this dish is vegetarian-friendly. Learn how to make cabbage casserole, and add it to your regular rotation for all sorts of meals. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 26 Dec. 2023 Get The Recipe 23 of 38 Classic Fresh Field Peas Smoky ham hocks take these field peas up a notch, making this side dish absolutely irresistible. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 17 Jan. 2024 Turn off the heat and remove the ham hock, onion, carrot, celery and bay leaves. USA TODAY, 29 Dec. 2022 With chunky pieces of potato and chopped ham hock, this soup is a filling entrée option. Karen Schroeder-Rankin, Southern Living, 30 Dec. 2023
Verb
While Fallon appeared to be hocking the brunt of his coffee carnage away from Cher, the Grammy-winner had no qualms about spraying the host directly in the face with a large mouthful of coffee. EW.com, 8 Dec. 2023 But none of these journalists, educators and media outlets are necessarily hocking drugs online. Robert Johnson, Rolling Stone, 26 Jan. 2024 Services like Kuaishou and Douyin—ByteDance’s version of TikTok for the Chinese market—have become new shopping hubs as streamers hock new products to their audience. Bylionel Lim, Fortune, 13 Nov. 2023 The rest of his family isn't faring much better—his wife, Imelda, has turned to hocking her jewelry and having illicit affairs to deal with her ennui, while his children, Cass and PJ, have turned to binge-drinking and running away from home as their solutions to their general misfortune. Time, 31 July 2023 This is the first time, however, that either costar has provided an explanation for what Styles really did in the clip, if not hocking a loogie on the Star Trek actor’s lap. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 1 Mar. 2023 Their father, Benjamin Warner, hocked his gold watch to make up the difference. Chris Yogerst, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Apr. 2023 Photo: Peggy Nolan Nolan first picked up a camera in the early 1980s, when her father gifted her a Nikon that someone had hocked at his pawn shop. Nadine Zylberberg, Vogue, 3 Apr. 2023 The alternative, of course, is hocking a loogie. Markham Heid, Men's Health, 31 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hock.' 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 (1)

Middle English hoch, hough, from Old English hōh heel; akin to Old Norse hāsin hock

Noun (2)

modification of German Hochheimer, from Hochheim, Germany

Noun (3) and Verb (1)

Dutch hok pen, prison

Verb (2)

variant of hawk entry 3

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

circa 1625, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

1878, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1883, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (2)

1990, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hock was in 1540

Dictionary Entries Near hock

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

hock

1 of 3 noun
1
: the region in the hind limb of a four-footed animal (as the horse) that corresponds to the human ankle
2
: a small cut of meat from either the front or hind leg just above the foot especially of a pig
ham hocks

hock

2 of 3 verb

hock

3 of 3 noun
: pawn entry 2 sense 2
got the ring out of hock
Etymology

Noun

Old English hōh "heel"

Noun

from Dutch hok "pen, prison"

Medical Definition

hock

noun
: the joint or region of the joint that unites the tarsal bones in the hind limb of a digitigrade quadruped (as the horse) and that corresponds to the human ankle but is elevated and bends backward

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