definitions

hock

3
[ hok ]
/ hɒk /
|

verb (used with object)

pawn1.

noun

the state of being deposited or held as security; pawn: She was forced to put her good jewelry in hock.
the condition of owing; debt: After the loan was paid, he was finally out of hock.

Nearby words

hobson-jobson, hoccleve, hochheimer, hochhuth, hochmagandy, hock, hock leg, hocket, hockett, hockey, hockey mom

Origin of hock

3
1855–60, Americanism; < Dutch hok kennel, sty, pen, (informal) miserable place to live, prison

Related forms

hock·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hocker

British Dictionary definitions for hocker (1 of 3)

hock

1
/ (hɒk) /

noun

the joint at the tarsus of a horse or similar animal, pointing backwards and corresponding to the human ankle
the corresponding joint in domestic fowl

verb

another word for hamstring

Word Origin for hock

C16: short for hockshin, from Old English hōhsinu heel sinew

British Dictionary definitions for hocker (2 of 3)

hock

2
/ (hɒk) /

noun

any of several white wines from the German Rhine
(not in technical usage) any dry white wine

Word Origin for hock

C17: short for obsolete hockamore Hochheimer

British Dictionary definitions for hocker (3 of 3)

hock

3
/ (hɒk) informal, mainly US and Canadian /

verb

(tr) to pawn or pledge

noun

the state of being in pawn (esp in the phrase in hock)
in hock
  1. in prison
  2. in debt
  3. in pawn

Derived Forms

hocker, noun

Word Origin for hock

C19: from Dutch hok prison, debt
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