cog
1[ kog, kawg ]
/ kɒg, kɔg /
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noun
a gear tooth, formerly especially one of hardwood or metal, fitted into a slot in a gearwheel of less durable material.
a cogwheel.
a person who plays a minor part in a large organization, activity, etc.: He's just a small cog in the financial department.
verb (used without object), cogged, cog·ging.
(of an electric motor) to move jerkily.
verb (used with object), cogged, cog·ging.
to roll or hammer (an ingot) into a bloom or slab.
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Idioms about cog
slip a cog, to make a blunder; err: One of the clerks must have slipped a cog.
Origin of cog
1First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English cogge, probably from a North Germanic language; compare Swedish kugge, Norwegian kugg “cog”; akin to German Kugel “bullet, ball, shot,” Old English cycgel (see cudgel)
Other definitions for cog (2 of 4)
cog2
[ kog, kawg ]
/ kɒg, kɔg /
verb (used with object), cogged, cog·ging.
to manipulate or load (dice) unfairly.
verb (used without object), cogged, cog·ging.
to cheat, especially at dice.
Origin of cog
2First recorded in 1525–35; origin uncertain
Other definitions for cog (3 of 4)
cog3
[ kog, kawg ]
/ kɒg, kɔg /
noun
Carpentry. (in a cogged joint) the tongue in one timber, fitting into a corresponding slot in another.
verb (used with or without object), cogged, cog·ging.
Carpentry. to join with a cog.
Other definitions for cog (4 of 4)
cog.
abbreviation
cognate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use cog in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for cog (1 of 3)
cog1
/ (kɒɡ) /
noun
any of the teeth or projections on the rim of a gearwheel or sprocket
a gearwheel, esp a small one
a person or thing playing a small part in a large organization or process
verb cogs, cogging or cogged
(tr) metallurgy to roll (cast-steel ingots) to convert them into blooms
Word Origin for cog
C13: of Scandinavian origin; compare Danish kogge, Swedish kugge, Norwegian kug
British Dictionary definitions for cog (2 of 3)
cog2
/ (kɒɡ) /
verb cogs, cogging or cogged
slang to cheat (in a game, esp dice), as by loading a dice
Word Origin for cog
C16: originally a dice-playing term, of unknown origin
British Dictionary definitions for cog (3 of 3)
cog3
/ (kɒɡ) /
noun
a tenon that projects from the end of a timber beam for fitting into a mortise
verb cogs, cogging or cogged
(tr) to join (pieces of wood) with cogs
Word Origin for cog
C19: of uncertain origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Other Idioms and Phrases with cog
cog
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.