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sock

1
[ sok ]
/ sɒk /
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noun, plural socks or, for 1 also, sox [soks]. /sɒks/.
a short stocking usually reaching to the calf or just above the ankle.
a lightweight shoe worn by ancient Greek and Roman comic actors.
comic writing for the theater; comedy or comic drama.Compare buskin (def. 4).
Furniture. a raised vertical area of a club or pad foot.
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Idioms about sock

    knock one's / the socks off. knock (def. 29).

Origin of sock

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English sok, socke, Old English socc “light shoe, slipper, stocking,” from Latin soccus

OTHER WORDS FROM sock

sockless, adjectivesock·less·ness, noun

Other definitions for sock (2 of 2)

Origin of sock

2
First recorded in 1690–1700; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT SOCK

What is a basic definition of sock?

A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the foot that usually extends to around the ankle. As a verb, sock means to hit hard. The word sock has a few other senses as a noun and an adjective.

A sock is worn on the foot and is almost always made of cloth, such as cotton or wool. It usually covers the entire foot and stretches to around the ankle but may sometimes extend higher. Socks are almost always made or sold in pairs, in order to cover both feet.

The plural of sock is socks or, rarely, sox. Sox rarely appears in formal writing with two exceptions: The names of the American baseball teams the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox (Go Sox!).

  • Real-life examples: You are probably wearing a pair of socks right now. Soccer players wear knee-high socks. Most people don’t wear socks while wearing sandals.
  • Used in a sentence: Whenever I do laundry, I somehow end up with a leftover sock.

As a verb, sock means to hit something or someone really hard. This sense of sock can be used literally or figuratively.

  • Used in a sentence: I watched as the boxer was socked right in the jaw and fell down.

In this sense, sock can also refer to a hard hit.

  • Used in a sentence: After the boxer got a sock in the jaw, he fell down.

Where does sock come from?

The first records of clothing item sock come from before 900. It comes from the Latin soccus, meaning “slipper.” The first records of the verb sense of sock come from around 1690, and its origin is unknown.

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What are some other forms related to sock?

  • sox (alternative plural spelling)
  • sockless (adjective)
  • socklessness (noun)

What are some synonyms for sock?

What are some words that share a root or word element with sock

What are some words that often get used in discussing sock?

How is sock used in real life?

Sock is a common word that means a piece of clothing worn on the foot or to hit something very hard.

Try using sock!

True or False?

A sock is usually worn on the foot.

How to use sock in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sock (1 of 2)

sock1
/ (sɒk) /

noun
verb
(tr) to provide with socks
socked in US and Canadian slang (of an airport) closed by adverse weather conditions

Word Origin for sock

Old English socc a light shoe, from Latin soccus, from Greek sukkhos

British Dictionary definitions for sock (2 of 2)

sock2
/ (sɒk) slang /

verb
(usually tr) to hit with force
sock it to to make a forceful impression on
noun
a forceful blow

Word Origin for sock

C17: of obscure origin
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
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