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
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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
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Recent Examples of hock
Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2026
Add chicken broth, potatoes, ham hocks, thyme, salt and pepper and simmer on low for about two hours, or until the ham is tender.
—Oc Register, 3 Jan. 2026
Spin Staff, SPIN, 9 Jan. 2025
Despite the league’s highest payroll and having already hocked any draft pick that wasn’t nailed down (some of them more than once), the Suns fell 15-18 on the season.
—John Hollinger, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hock
Noun
Delicate Southern field peas pair perfectly with smoky ham hocks for an old-school veggie side.
—Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2026
Add chicken broth, potatoes, ham hocks, thyme, salt and pepper and simmer on low for about two hours, or until the ham is tender.
—Oc Register, 3 Jan. 2026
Verb
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
Despite the league’s highest payroll and having already hocked any draft pick that wasn’t nailed down (some of them more than once), the Suns fell 15-18 on the season.
—John Hollinger, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hock
Noun
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This center could break that cycle by getting them the specialized treatment that the jail cannot and does not provide.—
Jim DeFede,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
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Ramsey, 53, has been held in a Dallas County, Iowa, jail since March 17, with bail set at $2 million.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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After being blackballed from the finance sector, Coop resorts to burglarizing the homes of those in his social circle and pawning the items to stay afloat.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Apr. 2026
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Burglarizing the homes of those in his social circle and pawning the items just to stay afloat.—
Ryan Brennan
April 1,
Miami Herald,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The government opened the federal penitentiary on Alcatraz in 1934, hoping to use the remote island to house particularly difficult prisoners, according to the National Park Service.—
Justine McDaniel,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Apr. 2026
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But Wood’s penitentiary is considerably sturdier.—
Robert Rubsam,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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SimpleImages / Getty Images In a conventional savings or investing climate, depositing a large sum into a long-term certificate of deposit (CD) isn't often the best choice for savers.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
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Lawn mowing season is coming, which means that trash that is not picked up and plastic netting will be cut into smaller plastic pieces to be deposited in Naperville soil for thousands of years.—
Naperville Sun,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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He was beaten by security forces, arrested and sentenced to 14 years in prison.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 2026
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During his 12-year pontificate, Francis famously celebrated the Holy Thursday ritual by traveling to Rome-area prisons and refugee centers to wash the feet of people most on society’s margins.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hock. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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