sock

1
[ sok ]
See synonyms for sock on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural socks or, for 1 also, sox [soks]. /sɒks/.
  1. a short stocking usually reaching to the calf or just above the ankle.

  2. a lightweight shoe worn by ancient Greek and Roman comic actors.

  1. comic writing for the theater; comedy or comic drama.: Compare buskin (def. 4).

  2. Furniture. a raised vertical area of a club or pad foot.

Idioms about sock

  1. knock one's / the socks off. knock (def. 29).

Origin of sock

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English sok, socke, Old English socc “light shoe, slipper, stocking,” from Latin soccus

Other words from sock

  • sockless, adjective
  • sock·less·ness, noun

Other definitions for sock (2 of 2)

sock2
[ sok ]

verb (used with object)
  1. to strike or hit hard.

noun
  1. a hard blow.

  2. a very successful show, performance, actor, etc.: The show was a sock.

adjective
  1. extremely successful: a sock performance.

Verb Phrases
  1. sock away, to put into savings or reserve.

  2. sock in, to close or ground because of adverse weather conditions: The airport was socked in.

Origin of sock

2
First recorded in 1690–1700; origin uncertain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sock in a sentence

  • "Gie's my socks," he ordered grumpily, flinging Robert's socks into the far corner of the kitchen.

    The Underworld | James C. Welsh
  • He rose, shaking himself together, and his glance fell on the three suspended socks bulging grotesquely.

    The Woman Gives | Owen Johnson
  • Still, if the weather gets colder, I can put on a second pair of socks under them.

  • Reminds me of the time when we painted socks on Quinnys legs so that he could go out and call on a countess.

    The Woman Gives | Owen Johnson
  • I forgot to say that yesterday my Mother sent me from Oakfield two pairs of thick strong socks and some Canadian chocolate.

British Dictionary definitions for sock (1 of 2)

sock1

/ (sɒk) /


noun
  1. a cloth covering for the foot, reaching to between the ankle and knee and worn inside a shoe

  2. an insole put in a shoe, as to make it fit better

  1. a light shoe worn by actors in ancient Greek and Roman comedy, sometimes taken to allude to comic drama in general (as in the phrase sock and buskin): See buskin

  2. another name for windsock

  3. pull one's socks up British informal to make a determined effort, esp in order to regain control of a situation

  4. put a sock in it British slang be quiet!

verb
  1. (tr) to provide with socks

  2. socked in US and Canadian slang (of an airport) closed by adverse weather conditions

Origin of sock

1
Old English socc a light shoe, from Latin soccus, from Greek sukkhos

British Dictionary definitions for sock (2 of 2)

sock2

/ (sɒk) slang /


verb
  1. (usually tr) to hit with force

  2. sock it to to make a forceful impression on

noun
  1. a forceful blow

Origin of sock

2
C17: of obscure origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012