hock 1 of 2

noun

Definition of hocknext
as in jail
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

hock

2 of 2

verb

as in to pawn
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 hock
Noun
Ambitious cooks can smoke their own hocks for double the meat. — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 23 May 2026 Romaine is braised, as is common in Hong Kong, but with ham hock potlikker. — Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 24 Mar. 2026
Verb
If Emily can be in Paris and Rome, why can’t Robert be in Joshua Tree hocking ayahuasca? — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024 Despite the league’s highest payroll and having already hocked any draft pick that wasn’t nailed down (some of them more than once), the Suns fell 15-18 on the season. — John Hollinger, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hock
  1. jail
  2. pawn
  3. penitentiary
  4. deposit
  5. prison
Noun
  • The driver of the fleeing vehicle was booked into the Wyandotte County Detention Center, according to the jail’s inmate listing.
    — Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2026
  • Epstein served about 13 months in a Florida jail, and was often permitted to leave the jail on work release.
    — Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Definition of jail
Verb
  • When interviewed by police in May, Weckesser allegedly admitted to stealing the ring from the home and re-shaping it before pawning it off.
    — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026
  • At one point, the family pawned the title to their car to help keep his dream alive.
    — Preston Fore, Fortune, 23 June 2026
Definition of pawn
Noun
  • Two years ago, a judge freed Anthony Bailey after 27 years in the federal penitentiary, giving him a second chance at life.
    — Carrie Johnson, NPR, 23 June 2026
  • After a federal jury voted to convict him in early 2024, Hernández was sent to a notorious high-security penitentiary in West Virginia to serve his time.
    — Keri Blakinger, ProPublica, 11 June 2026
Definition of penitentiary
Verb
  • According to Ceconi, these products don’t actually soften, but instead deposit a waxy coating on the fabric.
    — Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 30 June 2026
  • He’s transported to a realm of Tolkienesque fantasy, deposited somewhere between the Stony Waste and the Frozen Sea.
    — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
Definition of deposit
Noun
  • The pair, who were detained in March, had already spent four months in prison prior to the punishment, which ultimately reduced their sentence from 25 lashes to 21, the AP said.
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
  • Taylor, 30, now faces a potential sentence of life in prison.
    — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026
Definition of prison

Browse Nearby Words

Hobson's choices
hock
hocked
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Cite this Entry

“Hock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hock. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on hock

Nglish: Translation of hock for Spanish Speakers

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