chock
Americannoun
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chocks
plural
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a wedge or block of wood, metal, or the like, for filling in a space, holding an object steady, etc.
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Nautical.
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any of various heavy metal fittings on a deck or wharf that serve as fairleads for cables or chains.
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a shaped support or cradle for a ship's boat, barrel, etc.
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a small wooden piece or timber for filling a gap, reinforcing an angle, etc., in a wooden vessel.
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Metalworking. a bearing supporting the end of a rolling mill.
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Mining. a roof support made of cribbing filled with stones.
verb (used with object)
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chocks,
present (3rd person singular)
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chocked,
past participle, past
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chocking
present participle
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to furnish with or secure by a chock or chocks.
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Nautical. to place (a boat) upon chocks.
adverb
noun
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a block or wedge of wood used to prevent the sliding or rolling of a heavy object
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nautical
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a fairlead consisting of a ringlike device with an opening at the top through which a rope is placed
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a cradle-like support for a boat, barrel, etc
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mountaineering See nut
verb
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(usually foll by up) to cram full
chocked up with newspapers
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to fit with or secure by a chock
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to support (a boat, barrel, etc) on chocks
adverb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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chocksimple
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chockssimple
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have chockedperfect
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has chockedperfect
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am chockingprogressive
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are chockingprogressive
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is chockingprogressive
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have been chockingperfect progressive
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has been chockingperfect progressive
Past
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chockedsimple
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had chockedperfect
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was chockingprogressive
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were chockingprogressive
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had been chockingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of chock
Middle English < Anglo-French choque (compare modern Picard choke big log, Normandy dial. chouque ), Old French çoche ( French soche ); of uncertain origin
Explanation
A chock is a wedge of wood or metal that you place behind a wheel to keep a vehicle from rolling. Mechanics often use a chock as a safety measure while they're working on a car. Even if you've set the parking brake on your car, it's safer to also use a chock while you're working on it to ensure it doesn't move. There are special chocks for motorcycles, airplanes, and heavy trucks. You can also use chock as a verb, to mean "stop from rolling forward." The word's original meaning was "lumpy piece of wood," from Old North French choque, or "block."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In his Boulder lab chock full of instruments, Kyle McMillan -- a PhD candidate in atmospheric chemistry -- is working to better understand what happens in the clouds.
From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026
Authorities have created agreements with some mining giants to ensure that they power down their warehouses chock full of computers at times when the grid needs balancing.
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2025
She sees her pieces less as images and more as objects, chock full of references from her upbringing in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and her daily life and work in L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2025
"When you think about existing cancer genes and the DNA sequences around them, they're just chock full of these repeats," says Victor E. Velculescu, M.D.,
From Science Daily ● Mar. 13, 2024
When I reached the left-side wheel under the fuselage I pulled away the wood chock in front of the tire.
From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos
The FAA said airlines should review their safety programs to make sure they follow practices including keeping workers clear of planes until they are stopped and chocks are placed under the wheels.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 25, 2023
The chocks on the tires of the Vickers Vimy biplane were pulled away while several men struggled to hold the converted bomber from leaping into the air.
From Washington Post ● May 21, 2022
Then, to help preserve climbing routes from disfigurement, Chouinard changed to aluminium chocks that could be wedged in by hand and did not leave a trace behind.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 7, 2017
Concerned about the degradation of rock, they stopped making pitons and instead came out with aluminum chocks that you could wedge into and remove from cracks without leaving any gear or scars behind.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 12, 2016
But the cargo plane was already in motion, rolling slowly away from its chocks.
From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz
Nearby, Syrian children in a makeshift refugee camp played in dirty water chocked with rubbish and medical waste and fed by an outflow from an open pipe.
From Reuters ● Oct. 31, 2022
The next morning, we rushed him to a local veterinarian where they chocked his symptoms up to a minor stomach virus.
From Slate ● Feb. 25, 2022
“We saw consumers thinking of inflation and supply chains being chocked, so the ultimate pantry loading happened in October,” Kathy Gramling, a consumer industry markets consultant for EY.
From New York Times ● Dec. 15, 2021
Whatever the Nationals do or do not do from here, they have made the big deal, chocked up the cash fans grumble for and added to the bullpen that has desperately needed help all season.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 16, 2017
My hair blew straight back but the plane didn’t budge forward because Dad had the wheels chocked with big wedges of firewood.
From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos
These range from the inferior to the dangerous, including toxic plastics, chemicals, and small parts that aren't properly attached "that can then pose a chocking hazard".
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2025
The crowd gave Robinson a long standing ovation as he closed his homily, chocking back tears.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 26, 2018
“I told him that at the time, I can’t fight another battle,” Ammon Bundy recalled, chocking back sobs.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 4, 2016
“I just want them to be happy,” she said, chocking back tears as her mom looked on.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 24, 2016
The old banker was fearfully agitated; the blood left his feet cold and carried fire to his brain, his head sent the flame back to his heart; he was chocking.
From Scenes from a Courtesan's Life by Honoré de Balzac
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
