docker

¹ American  

[dok-er] / ˈdɒk ər /

noun

1. a laborer on shipping docks; dock; longshoreman.

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docker ² American  

[dok-er] / ˈdɒk ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that docks dock or cuts short.

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docker ¹ British  

/ ˈdɒkə /

noun

1. US and Canadian equivalent: longshoreman.  a man employed in the loading or unloading of ships See also stevedore

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docker ² British  

/ ˈdɒkə /

noun

1. a person or thing that docks something, such as the tail of a horse

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Etymology

Origin of docker¹

First recorded in 1755–65; dock ¹ + -er ¹

Origin of docker²

First recorded in 1800–10; dock ² + -er ¹

Example Sentences

"We don't know if the new authority will hire us or restructure the entire system," striking docker Nur Uddin, 55, told AFP on Saturday.

From Barron's • Nov. 1, 2025

Apple's dropping new iPads with whiz-bang Lidar features and shiny new cases and all I want is an iPad with a proper shell where I can run homebrew, docker, python, cron jobs and the like.

From The Verge • Apr. 21, 2020

He finds himself an apprentice docker aged 63.

From BBC • Feb. 6, 2020

A 1954 Durban docker strike resulted in wage concessions, but also the termination and blacklisting of strike leaders.

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2019

Every reporter and docker on the West Coast wanted to sit in on them, and Smith was determined to keep them away.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand