hose

[hohz]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hose ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural hose for 2, 3; hos·es for 1, 4, 5; (Archaic) hos·en [hoh-zuh n] /ˈhoʊ zən/.

a flexible tube for conveying a liquid, as water, to a desired point: a garden hose; a fire hose.

(used with a plural verb) an article of clothing for the foot and lower part of the leg; stocking or sock.

(of men's attire in former times)

an article of clothing for the leg, extending from about the knee to the ankle and worn with knee breeches.
(used with a plural verb)knee breeches.
(used with a plural verb)tights, as were worn with, and usually attached to, a doublet.

British Dialect. a sheath, or sheathing part, as that enclosing a kernel of grain.

Golf. hosel.

verb (used with object), hosed, hos·ing.

to water, wash, spray, or drench by means of a hose (often followed by down): to hose the garden; to hose down the ship's deck.

Slang.

to cheat, trick, or take advantage of.
to defeat decisively.
to reject.
Chiefly Military.to attack or assault (an area) in order to gain control quickly (sometimes followed by down).

Origin of hose

before 1100; (noun) Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch hoos, Old Norse hosa, German Hose; (v.) Middle English: to provide with hose, derivative of the noun

Related formshose·less, adjectivehose·like, adjectiveun·hosed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for hose

tube, sock, tights, tubing, hosiery, breeches

Examples from the Web for hose

Contemporary Examples of hose

I sucked on the hose that he handed me and was instantly really high.
This Is Your E-Cigarette on Drugs
Daniel Genis
July 28, 2014
After the sweep for junk and once good water pressure has been established, the hose is connected to the engine.
The Marine and His Cousin the Firefighter
Maurice Emerson Decaul
September 11, 2013
The Nozzle-man opens the mouth of the hose, releasing its stream while the Backup-man braces the weight.
The Marine and His Cousin the Firefighter
Maurice Emerson Decaul
September 11, 2013
We put a hose in her mouth so she could breath water, to keep her healthy and strong before we released her.
Off the Hook: Eric Young’s Craziest Shark Catches (Video)
Anna Klassen
August 5, 2013
The seawater was higher than the fire hydrants, and the firefighters had to duck down into it to connect the hose.
Heroism in the Rockaways After Hurricane Sandy
Michael Daly
November 6, 2012

Historical Examples of hose

She turned the hose on the car and washed the dust from it carefully.
Her Father's Daughter
Gene Stratton-Porter
The reply came: "No shooting allowed in Park; use the hose."
The Biography of a Grizzly
Ernest Seton-Thompson
The piece which the mastiff had torn from his hose did not discourage Boxtel.
The Black Tulip
Alexandre Dumas (Pere)
I shouted scornfully, as they started to play the hose on her.
The Harbor
Ernest Poole
The hose is of heavy duck, sometimes double, sewn by machine.
Hittel on Gold Mines and Mining
John S. Hittell

British Dictionary definitions for hose

hose

noun

a flexible pipe, for conveying a liquid or gas

verb

(sometimes foll by down) to wash, water, or sprinkle (a person or thing) with or as if with a hose

Word Origin for hose

C15: later use of hose ²

hose

noun plural hose or hosen

stockings, socks, and tights collectively

history a man's garment covering the legs and reaching up to the waist; worn with a doublet

half-hose socks

Word Origin for hose

Old English hosa; related to Old High German hosa, Dutch hoos, Old Norse hosa

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

Word Origin and History for hose

late Old English, hosa "covering for the leg," from Proto-Germanic *husan (cf. Old Saxon, Old Norse hosa, Middle High German hose "covering for the leg," German Hose "trousers"), literally "covering," from PIE *(s)keu- "to cover, conceal" (see hide (n.1)). Old French hose, Old Spanish huesa are of Germanic origin. Sense of "flexible rubber tube for liquid" is first attested late 15c.

c.1300, "to furnish with stockings," from hose (n.). Meaning "to water down with a hose" is from 1889. Related: Hosed; hosing.