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crock
1[ krok ]
/ krɒk /
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noun
an earthenware pot, jar, or other container.
a fragment of earthenware; potsherd.
Slang. euphemistic shortening of crock of shit.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of crock
1First recorded before 1000; Middle English crokke, Old English croc(c), crocca “pot”; cognate with Old Norse krukka “jug”
Words nearby crock
crocein, crochet, crochet hook, crochetwork, crocidolite, crock, crocked, crockery, crocket, Crockett, Crockett, Davy
Other definitions for crock (2 of 3)
crock2
[ krok ]
/ krɒk /
noun
a person or thing that is old, decrepit, or broken-down.
Slang. a person who complains about or insists on being treated for an imagined illness.
an old ewe.
an old worn-out horse.
verb (used with object)
British Slang. to disable or injure.
Origin of crock
2First recorded in 1520–30; Middle English crok “old ewe,” perhaps akin to crack (verb) and obsolete crack “whore”; compare Low German krakke “broken-down horse”
Other definitions for crock (3 of 3)
crock3
[ krok ]
/ krɒk /
noun
verb (used with object)
British Dialect. to soil with soot.
verb (used without object)
(of cloth) to give off excess surface dye when rubbed.
Origin of crock
3First recorded in 1650–60; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use crock in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for crock (1 of 3)
crock1
/ (krɒk) /
noun
an earthen pot, jar, etc
a piece of broken earthenware
Also: crock of shit US and Canadian informal a quantity or source of lies or nonsense
Word Origin for crock
Old English crocc pot; related to Old Norse krukka jug, Middle Low German krūke pot
British Dictionary definitions for crock (2 of 3)
crock2
/ (krɒk) /
noun
slang, mainly British a person or thing, such as a car, that is old or decrepit (esp in the phrase old crock)
an old broken-down horse or ewe
verb
slang, mainly British to become or cause to become weak or disabled
Word Origin for crock
C15: originally Scottish; related to Norwegian krake unhealthy animal, Dutch kraak decrepit person or animal
British Dictionary definitions for crock (3 of 3)
crock3
/ (krɒk) /
noun
dialect, mainly British soot or smut
colour that rubs off fabric
verb
(tr) dialect, mainly British to soil with or as if with soot
(intr) (of a dyed fabric) to release colour when rubbed, as a result of imperfect dyeing
Word Origin for crock
C17: probably from crock 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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