as in jail
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
some lowlife who had been in and out of hock most of his adult life
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to pawn
to leave as a guarantee of repayment of a loan
the prince had to hock the family jewels to pay his gambling debts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of hock
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
This was a plot twist with political and cultural significance because Italian American politicians were often accused—at varying decibels—of being in hock to the Mafia.
—
John Avlon,
The Atlantic,
25 May 2026
Greg Marotta,
New York Daily News,
26 Mar. 2025
Bandcamp’s cut is 15% on digital sales and 10% when hocking physical stuff (t-shirts, vinyl, CDs, cassettes, etc).
—
Spin Staff,
SPIN,
9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hock
Noun
If a debtor refused to coöperate, Pitman might ingratiate himself, explaining, truthfully, that having the key sure would help him out, or that, without it, the lienholder would bundle the cost of making a new one into the price of getting the vehicle out of hock.
—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
This was a plot twist with political and cultural significance because Italian American politicians were often accused—at varying decibels—of being in hock to the Mafia.
—
John Avlon,
The Atlantic,
25 May 2026
Verb
Conversely, Soto was like the guy who hocks his wedding ring before the separation agreement is signed.
—
Greg Marotta,
New York Daily News,
26 Mar. 2025
Bandcamp’s cut is 15% on digital sales and 10% when hocking physical stuff (t-shirts, vinyl, CDs, cassettes, etc).
—
Spin Staff,
SPIN,
9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hock
Noun
-
The driver of the fleeing vehicle was booked into the Wyandotte County Detention Center, according to the jail’s inmate listing.
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Epstein served about 13 months in a Florida jail, and was often permitted to leave the jail on work release.
Verb
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When interviewed by police in May, Weckesser allegedly admitted to stealing the ring from the home and re-shaping it before pawning it off.
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At one point, the family pawned the title to their car to help keep his dream alive.
Noun
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Two years ago, a judge freed Anthony Bailey after 27 years in the federal penitentiary, giving him a second chance at life.
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After a federal jury voted to convict him in early 2024, Hernández was sent to a notorious high-security penitentiary in West Virginia to serve his time.
Verb
-
According to Ceconi, these products don’t actually soften, but instead deposit a waxy coating on the fabric.
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He’s transported to a realm of Tolkienesque fantasy, deposited somewhere between the Stony Waste and the Frozen Sea.
Noun
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The pair, who were detained in March, had already spent four months in prison prior to the punishment, which ultimately reduced their sentence from 25 lashes to 21, the AP said.
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Taylor, 30, now faces a potential sentence of life in prison.
Cite this Entry
“Hock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hock. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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