hose

American  

[hohz] / hoʊz /

noun

plural

hose, hoses,

plural

hosen

1. a flexible tube for conveying a liquid, as water, to a desired point.

   a garden hose; a fire hose.

2. (used with a plural verb) an article of clothing for the foot and lower part of the leg; stocking or sock.

3. (of men's attire in former times)

   1. an article of clothing for the leg, extending from about the knee to the ankle and worn with knee breeches.

   2. (used with a plural verb) knee breeches.

   3. (used with a plural verb) tights, as were worn with, and usually attached to, a doublet.

4. British Dialect. a sheath, or sheathing part, as that enclosing a kernel of grain.

5. Golf. hosel.

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verb (used with object)

hosed, hosing

1. to water, wash, spray, or drench by means of a hose (often followed bydown ).

   to hose the garden; to hose down the ship's deck.

2. Slang.

   1. to cheat, trick, or take advantage of.

   2. to defeat decisively.

   3. to reject.

   4. Chiefly Military. to attack or assault (an area) in order to gain control quickly (sometimes followed bydown ).

hose ¹ British  

/ həʊz /

noun

1. stockings, socks, and tights collectively

2. history a man's garment covering the legs and reaching up to the waist; worn with a doublet

3. socks

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hose ² British  

/ həʊz /

noun

1. a flexible pipe, for conveying a liquid or gas

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verb

1. (sometimes foll by down) to wash, water, or sprinkle (a person or thing) with or as if with a hose

Other Word Forms

• hoseless adjective
• hoselike adjective
• unhosed adjective

Etymology

Origin of hose

before 1100; (noun) Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch hoos, Old Norse hosa, German Hose; (v.) Middle English: to provide with hose, derivative of the noun

Example Sentences

At the meditation center, Sarah found people bathing with her hose nightly and leaving the water running, cutting into water lines, and making warming fires close to the building.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

And resident Leung Ho-hin said he saw two neighbours try to use a fire hose, but "no water" came out.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

When two of her sons got into a fight on the front lawn in Annapolis, she ended it by spraying them with a garden hose.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

Admittedly, it isn't easy to put out fires without a hose.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

After the wind died down, a chemical gas was pumped in through a hose from a metal tank loaded on the bed of a large truck.

From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez

Related Words

• hosiery
• sock
• tights
• tube
• tubing