hammock
1 Americannoun
noun
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hammock
First recorded in 1545–55; from Spanish hamaca, from Taíno (Hispaniola)
Explanation
A hammock is a rope or canvas bed that hangs from a stand, two trees, or another support. You might enjoy reading a book while lying in a hammock under a shady tree. Most people use hammocks to nap or relax, rather than sleeping in them all night, and many kids enjoy swinging back and forth in a hammock. In some cultures and special situations, hammocks have been used for regular sleeping — for example, hammocks were once commonly found on ships, providing sailors with easily portable beds. Hammock comes from the Spanish hamaca, a variation on the Taino hamaka, "fish nets."
Vocabulary lists containing hammock
The Lazy, Hazy Days of Summer
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Vocabulary from Academy Award Nominees and Winners
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The Lions of Little Rock
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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.
Cellular carriers will promise a 5G utopia full of doctors performing robotic surgeries while they lie on a hammock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026
“Allowing myself to go outside and read in the hammock in the middle of the day or take a walk — it felt indulgent,” she says.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 10, 2025
We arrived at the Airbnb late, but we made time to sit in the hammock outside and watch the stars for a while.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2025
He is lying in a hammock, and explains that as long as the hammock keeps its place in Guna culture, "the heart of the Guna people will be alive".
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2025
There was a hammock made of barrel staves slatted into woven wires.
From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner
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.
