dock

1
[ dok ]
See synonyms for: dockdockeddockingdocks on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a landing pier.

  2. the space or waterway between two piers or wharves, as for receiving a ship while in port.

  1. such a waterway, enclosed or open, together with the surrounding piers, wharves, etc.

  2. a platform for loading and unloading trucks, railway freight cars, etc.

  3. an airplane hangar or repair shed.

  4. Also called scene dock. a place in a theater near the stage or beneath the floor of the stage for the storage of scenery.

verb (used with object)
  1. to bring (a ship or boat) into a dock; lay up in a dock.

  2. to place in dry dock, as for repairs, cleaning, or painting.

  1. to join (a space vehicle) with another or with a space station in outer space.

verb (used without object)
  1. to come or go into a dock or dry dock.

  2. (of two space vehicles) to join together in outer space.

Origin of dock

1
First recorded in 1505–15; from Middle Dutch doc(ke)

Words that may be confused with dock

Words Nearby dock

Other definitions for dock (2 of 4)

dock2
[ dok ]

noun
  1. the solid or fleshy part of an animal's tail, as distinguished from the hair.

  2. the part of a tail left after cutting or clipping.

verb (used with object)
  1. to cut off the end of; cut short: to dock a tail.

  2. to cut short the tail of: to dock a horse.

  1. to deduct from the wages of, usually as a punishment: The boss docked him a day's pay.

  2. to deduct from (wages): The boss docked his paycheck $20.

Origin of dock

2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English dok, Old English -docca, in fingirdoccana (genitive plural) “finger muscles”; cognate with Frisian dok, Low German docke “bundle,” Icelandic dokkur “stumpy tail,” Middle High German tocke “bundle, sheaf”

Other definitions for dock (3 of 4)

dock3
[ dok ]

noun
  1. the place in a courtroom where a prisoner is placed during trial.

Origin of dock

3
First recorded in 1580–90; perhaps from Dutch dok (dialectal sense) “cage, poultry pen, rabbit hutch”

Other definitions for dock (4 of 4)

dock4
[ dok ]

noun
  1. any of various weedy plants belonging to the genus Rumex, of the buckwheat family, as R. obtusifolius(bitter dock ) or R. acetosa(sour dock ), having long taproots.

  2. any of various other plants, mostly coarse weeds.

Origin of dock

4
First recorded before 1000; Middle English dokke, Old English docce; cognate with Middle Dutch docke, Middle High German tocke

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

How to use dock in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dock (1 of 4)

dock1

/ (dɒk) /


noun
  1. a wharf or pier

  2. a space between two wharves or piers for the mooring of ships

  1. an area of water that can accommodate a ship and can be closed off to allow regulation of the water level

  2. short for dry dock

  3. short for scene dock

  4. mainly US and Canadian a platform from which lorries, goods trains, etc, are loaded and unloaded

verb
  1. to moor (a vessel) at a dock or (of a vessel) to be moored at a dock

  2. to put (a vessel) into a dry dock for repairs or (of a vessel) to come into a dry dock

  1. (of two spacecraft) to link together in space or link together (two spacecraft) in space

Origin of dock

1
C14: from Middle Dutch docke; perhaps related to Latin ducere to lead

British Dictionary definitions for dock (2 of 4)

dock2

/ (dɒk) /


noun
  1. the bony part of the tail of an animal, esp a dog or sheep

  2. the part of an animal's tail left after the major part of it has been cut off

verb(tr)
  1. to remove (the tail or part of the tail) of (an animal) by cutting through the bone: to dock a tail; to dock a horse

  2. to deduct (an amount) from (a person's wages, pension, etc): they docked a third of his wages

Origin of dock

2
C14: dok, of uncertain origin

British Dictionary definitions for dock (3 of 4)

dock3

/ (dɒk) /


noun
  1. an enclosed space in a court of law where the accused sits or stands during his trial

Origin of dock

3
C16: from Flemish dok sty

British Dictionary definitions for dock (4 of 4)

dock4

/ (dɒk) /


noun
  1. any of various temperate weedy plants of the polygonaceous genus Rumex, having greenish or reddish flowers and typically broad leaves

  2. any of several similar or related plants

Origin of dock

4
Old English docce; related to Middle Dutch, Old Danish docke, Gaelic dogha

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with dock

dock

see in the dock.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.