hose

American  

[hohz] / hoʊz /

noun

plural

hose, hoses,

plural

hosen

1. a flexible tube for conveying a liquid, as water, to a desired point.

   a garden hose; a fire hose.

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

3. (of men's attire in former times)

   1. an article of clothing for the leg, extending from about the knee to the ankle and worn with knee breeches.

   2. (used with a plural verb) knee breeches.

   3. (used with a plural verb) tights, as were worn with, and usually attached to, a doublet.

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

5. Golf. hosel.

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verb (used with object)

hosed, hosing

1. to water, wash, spray, or drench by means of a hose (often followed bydown ).

   to hose the garden; to hose down the ship's deck.

2. Slang.

   1. to cheat, trick, or take advantage of.

   2. to defeat decisively.

   3. to reject.

   4. Chiefly Military. to attack or assault (an area) in order to gain control quickly (sometimes followed bydown ).

hose ¹ British  

/ həʊz /

noun

1. stockings, socks, and tights collectively

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

3. socks

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hose ² British  

/ həʊz /

noun

1. a flexible pipe, for conveying a liquid or gas

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

• hoseless adjective
• hoselike adjective
• unhosed adjective

Etymology

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

Explanation

A hose is a long plastic or rubber tube that's used for moving a liquid from one place to another. You may use a hose to water your lawn, or to get gas from the pump into your car's tank. Don't use a hose to ingest liquids; use a glass instead. A garden hose is useful for watering plants or washing your car, while firefighters use hoses to spray water on fires. A hose is similar to a pipe, being long, narrow, and hollow, with space for liquid to move through it, although a hose is flexible, and a pipe is commonly made of stiff metal or hard plastic. You can use the word as a verb, meaning "to spray with a hose," or as a noun meaning "sheer stockings."

Example Sentences

GENEVA, Ill.—Wielding a faucet hose, Beto “Rodrigo” Mejía Fermine blasted the remains of avocado toast and turkey gravy off stacks of plates hurriedly delivered by servers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

We see them appear out of the dark at speed to make the delicate manoeuvre to feed their fuel-hungry jets - locking on to a hose trailing from the tanker wing.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

At the meditation center, Sarah found people bathing with her hose nightly and leaving the water running, cutting into water lines, and making warming fires close to the building.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

And resident Leung Ho-hin said he saw two neighbours try to use a fire hose, but "no water" came out.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

They wrestled for the hose, spraying one another, shooting the water over onto the dock, laughing and cursing each other.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

Related Words

• hosiery
• sock
• tights
• tube
• tubing