socket

American  

[sok-it] / ˈsɒk ɪt /

noun

1. a hollow part or piece for receiving and holding some part or thing.

2. Electricity.

   1. a device intended to hold an electric light bulb mechanically and connect it electrically to circuit wires.

   2. Also called wall socket.  a socket placed in a wall to receive a plug that makes an electrical connection with supply wiring.

3. Anatomy.

   1. a hollow in one part that receives another part.

      the socket of the eye.

   2. the concavity of a joint.

      the socket of the hip.

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verb (used with object)

1. to place in or fit with a socket.

socket British  

/ ˈsɒkɪt /

noun

1. a device into which an electric plug can be inserted in order to make a connection in a circuit

2. US and Canadian name: outlet.  Informal Brit names: point.   plug.  such a device mounted on a wall and connected to the electricity supply

3. a part with an opening or hollow into which some other part, such as a pipe, probe, etc, can be fitted

4. a spanner head having a recess suitable to be fitted over the head of a bolt and a keyway into which a wrench can be fitted

5. anatomy

   1. a bony hollow into which a part or structure fits

      a tooth socket

      an eye socket

   2. the receptacle of a ball-and-socket joint

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verb

1. (tr) to furnish with or place into a socket

Other Word Forms

• socketless adjective
• unsocketed adjective

Etymology

Origin of socket

1300–50; Middle English soket < Anglo-French, equivalent to Old French soc plowshare (< Gaulish *soccos; compare Welsh swch, Old Irish socc ) + -et -et

Example Sentences

He balled his hands into fists again and pressed them against his eye sockets.

From Literature

Squire and his team could see, from the type of light sockets and electrical outlets visible in the images, that Lucy was in North America.

From BBC

My father, the hardcore pacifist who can’t even squish a spider, reaches for the power cord snaking from the television to the wall socket.

From Literature

The single set of temporal fascia—indentations behind the eye sockets that are doubled on a reptile—is one means of scientific definition.

From The Wall Street Journal

“These sockets saw, and these jaws spoke and swallowed. This is a monument to them. A temple.”

From Salon

Related Words

• apartment
• bedroom
• box
• cell
• cubicle
• hall
• room