docks 1 of 3

Definition of docksnext
plural of dock
as in wharves
a structure used by boats and ships for taking on or landing cargo and passengers the boat remained tied up at the dock for a week, waiting for the weather to clear

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docks

2 of 3

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of dock

docks

3 of 3

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of dock
as in lands
to stop at or near a place along the shore the cruise ship docked at the first port of call early the next morning

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of docks
Noun
About 210 miles northwest of Des Moines, this classic summer escape invites families to fish off docks and boat across West Okoboji or Big Spirit Lake. Taryn Shorr-McKee, Midwest Living, 4 May 2026 Just because a cruise ship docks in a destination doesn’t mean passengers have to get off there – and some ports may get skipped more than others among repeat guests. Nathan Diller, USA Today, 3 May 2026 Wallace and her collaborators scrambled to get into the water; the whale was swimming in the wrong direction, toward some docks. Jessica Camille Aguirre, New Yorker, 2 May 2026 Visitors can also travel to the region by boat, as there are a number of docks and marinas in Georgetown and Murrells Inlet. Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 1 May 2026 That day, six medium-sized speedboats, belonging to drug traffickers or smugglers, had sought refuge from a storm among the breakwaters and docks of the port. Óscar Martínez, The Dial, 30 Apr. 2026 Meanwhile, the smaller neighboring lot is well-suited for parking, loading docks and pedestrian access, according to the district. Mark Dee april 29, Idaho Statesman, 29 Apr. 2026 Canary Wharf, formerly grim docks and working-class housing blocks in eastern London, has been transformed into a mammoth global commercial center. Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026 Next to it is a giant Goliath crane, which can lift up to 30,000 tons in a single heave; a gleaming white Royal Caribbean cruise ship sits just a few docks away. Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
If that's not enough, an alien ship soon docks nearby. S.c. Stuart, PC Magazine, 18 Mar. 2026 According to Military Sealift Command spokesman Joseph Davila, the SBX-1 typically docks at Ford Island every 12 to 18 months for maintenance. Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 29 Nov. 2025 The boy’s father, an exasperated man at the mercy of an Amazon-like delivery job that docks him for every second he so much as thinks about his son, is the only person who even wants to go through the effort of looking for him. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for docks
Noun
  • The wharves and warehouses along Pratt Street burned fiercely.
    Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2026
  • The infrastructure humans build in the water ‒ houses, piers, wharves, jetties, and even oil rigs ‒ create new habitats for juvenile jellyfish, called polyps, to attach and grow, Bologna said.
    N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Anyone who’s seen 2021’s Riverside Main Library, an equally futuristic building elevated on piers, will recognize the Geffen as a distant cousin.
    David Allen, Daily News, 23 Apr. 2026
  • Expensive stainless steel on the outer layer of rebar on the piers in the sea help prevent corrosion.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Wine is embedded in the city’s architecture, history and daily life, from grand 18th-century façades to the bustling quays of the Garonne.
    Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
  • According to Vantor, the image shows the construction of a dry dock and new quays and piers at one of China’s most strategically important bases.
    Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 8 Dec. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Docks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/docks. Accessed 5 May. 2026.

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