noun
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a stupid or incompetent person
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a penis
Pop Culture
— King Dork: A coming-of-age novel by Frank Portman, first published in 2006. —Son of Dork: A pop punk band from the U.K. — Dork Tower: An online comic by John Kovalic.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of dork
First recorded in 1960–65; origin uncertain; perhaps a variant of dirk ( def. ), influenced by dick ( def. )
Compare meaning
How does dork compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A dork is a socially inept person. If you started dancing the polka at a hip-hop club, you might well expect to hear "man, what a dork." Dork is one of many unkind names for the awkward or unpopular kids in school. Some others include dweeb, geek, goober, nerd, and weenie (try repeating that list really fast ten times). Most of these are not names you’d want to be called, although geek can denote a certain sense of pride in one’s uncoolness, or a proficiency in something useful.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
If I looked like a dork, at least I could zoom quickly past the judgment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
I worried for a bit that I was becoming a slightly self-involved dork, the sort of person who might, in earnest, Instagram a gratitude list.
From Salon ● Nov. 28, 2024
But worst of all, maybe, would be that I’d look like an irredeemable dork.
From Slate ● Sep. 26, 2024
Spanto was guilty of being a dork whenever he hung out with me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2024
Perhaps you could make me look like more of a dork to my peers.
From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
“There’s plenty to enjoy just with ‘Oh, who are these four dorks in these extreme circumstances?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
They’re practically statesmen compared with the dorks of yore.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
For the scholars and dorks among us, can you lay out the statutory argument that California made here, as well as the constitutional argument?
From Slate ● Jun. 13, 2025
At bottom, though, Rogen’s movies are sweet, fumbling love stories about sweet, fumbling dorks, and this has helped them age well.
From New York Times ● Apr. 20, 2021
While Peter stood on top like the king of all dorks, we snuck up the backside of the hill.
From "Because of Mr. Terupt" by Rob Buyea
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
