chock
Americannoun
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chocks
plural
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a wedge or block of wood, metal, or the like, for filling in a space, holding an object steady, etc.
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Nautical.
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any of various heavy metal fittings on a deck or wharf that serve as fairleads for cables or chains.
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a shaped support or cradle for a ship's boat, barrel, etc.
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a small wooden piece or timber for filling a gap, reinforcing an angle, etc., in a wooden vessel.
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Metalworking. a bearing supporting the end of a rolling mill.
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Mining. a roof support made of cribbing filled with stones.
verb (used with object)
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chocks,
present (3rd person singular)
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chocked,
past participle, past
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chocking
present participle
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to furnish with or secure by a chock or chocks.
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Nautical. to place (a boat) upon chocks.
adverb
noun
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a block or wedge of wood used to prevent the sliding or rolling of a heavy object
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nautical
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a fairlead consisting of a ringlike device with an opening at the top through which a rope is placed
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a cradle-like support for a boat, barrel, etc
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mountaineering See nut
verb
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(usually foll by up) to cram full
chocked up with newspapers
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to fit with or secure by a chock
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to support (a boat, barrel, etc) on chocks
adverb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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chocksimple
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chockssimple
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have chockedperfect
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has chockedperfect
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am chockingprogressive
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are chockingprogressive
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is chockingprogressive
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have been chockingperfect progressive
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has been chockingperfect progressive
Past
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chockedsimple
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had chockedperfect
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was chockingprogressive
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were chockingprogressive
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had been chockingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of chock
Middle English < Anglo-French choque (compare modern Picard choke big log, Normandy dial. chouque ), Old French çoche ( French soche ); of uncertain origin
Explanation
A chock is a wedge of wood or metal that you place behind a wheel to keep a vehicle from rolling. Mechanics often use a chock as a safety measure while they're working on a car. Even if you've set the parking brake on your car, it's safer to also use a chock while you're working on it to ensure it doesn't move. There are special chocks for motorcycles, airplanes, and heavy trucks. You can also use chock as a verb, to mean "stop from rolling forward." The word's original meaning was "lumpy piece of wood," from Old North French choque, or "block."
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:
My inbox is now chock full of cyber-security companies and experts criticising OpenAI for not building a stronger container to test its AI, known as a sandbox.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Agility operates in a niche market that’s already chock full of rivals.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
She sees her pieces less as images and more as objects, chock full of references from her upbringing in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and her daily life and work in L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2025
Her flailing style — chock full of moves such as "the kangaroo" and others that have been compared to a dog squirming in grass — lost all three of her matches 0-18.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2024
“You know it’s chock full of information, and some of it might be exactly what Mr. Benedict needs....”
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
The FAA said airlines should review their safety programs to make sure they follow practices including keeping workers clear of planes until they are stopped and chocks are placed under the wheels.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 25, 2023
The chocks on the tires of the Vickers Vimy biplane were pulled away while several men struggled to hold the converted bomber from leaping into the air.
From Washington Post ● May 21, 2022
Then, to help preserve climbing routes from disfigurement, Chouinard changed to aluminium chocks that could be wedged in by hand and did not leave a trace behind.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 7, 2017
Concerned about the degradation of rock, they stopped making pitons and instead came out with aluminum chocks that you could wedge into and remove from cracks without leaving any gear or scars behind.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 12, 2016
But the cargo plane was already in motion, rolling slowly away from its chocks.
From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz
Nearby, Syrian children in a makeshift refugee camp played in dirty water chocked with rubbish and medical waste and fed by an outflow from an open pipe.
From Reuters ● Oct. 31, 2022
Each new LP by DJ Khaled, hip-hop’s indomitable guru of positivity, is an all-star summit, chocked with A-list guest stars.
From New York Times ● Sep. 6, 2022
At first site, there was a supremely colorful wall, chocked with climbing doodads and fake boulders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2021
MCKAY: Yeah, I mean, I’ve chocked and some of the sounds sounded like a laugh, but I don’t even know if I believe in laughter.
From Slate ● Mar. 16, 2015
My hair blew straight back but the plane didn’t budge forward because Dad had the wheels chocked with big wedges of firewood.
From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos
These range from the inferior to the dangerous, including toxic plastics, chemicals, and small parts that aren't properly attached "that can then pose a chocking hazard".
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2025
The crowd gave Robinson a long standing ovation as he closed his homily, chocking back tears.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 26, 2018
“I told him that at the time, I can’t fight another battle,” Ammon Bundy recalled, chocking back sobs.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 4, 2016
“I just want them to be happy,” she said, chocking back tears as her mom looked on.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 24, 2016
He floundered out in mighty jumps and came swinging along the shore, chocking and grunting fiercely.
From Wood Folk at School by William Joseph Long
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.
