dock

¹

[ dok ]

noun

1. a landing pier.
2. the space or waterway between two piers or wharves, as for receiving a ship while in port.
3. such a waterway, enclosed or open, together with the surrounding piers, wharves, etc.
4. dry dock.
5. a platform for loading and unloading trucks, railway freight cars, etc.
6. an airplane hangar or repair shed.
7. Also called scene dock. a place in a theater near the stage or beneath the floor of the stage for the storage of scenery.

verb (used with object)

1. to bring (a ship or boat) into a dock; lay up in a dock.
2. to place in dry dock, as for repairs, cleaning, or painting.
3. to join (a space vehicle) with another or with a space station in outer space.

verb (used without object)

1. to come or go into a dock or dry dock.
2. (of two space vehicles) to join together in outer space.

dock

²

[ dok ]

noun

1. the solid or fleshy part of an animal's tail, as distinguished from the hair.
2. the part of a tail left after cutting or clipping.

verb (used with object)

1. to cut off the end of; cut short:

   to dock a tail.

2. to cut short the tail of:

   to dock a horse.

3. to deduct from the wages of, usually as a punishment:

   The boss docked him a day's pay.

4. to deduct from (wages):

   The boss docked his paycheck $20.

dock

³

[ dok ]

noun

1. the place in a courtroom where a prisoner is placed during trial.

dock

⁴

[ dok ]

noun

1. any of various weedy plants belonging to the genus Rumex, of the buckwheat family, as R. obtusifolius bitter dock or R. acetosa sour dock, having long taproots.
2. any of various other plants, mostly coarse weeds.

dock

¹

/ dɒk /

noun

1. a wharf or pier
2. a space between two wharves or piers for the mooring of ships
3. an area of water that can accommodate a ship and can be closed off to allow regulation of the water level
4. short for dry dock
5. short for scene dock
6. a platform from which lorries, goods trains, etc, are loaded and unloaded

verb

1. to moor (a vessel) at a dock or (of a vessel) to be moored at a dock
2. to put (a vessel) into a dry dock for repairs or (of a vessel) to come into a dry dock
3. (of two spacecraft) to link together in space or link together (two spacecraft) in space

dock

²

/ dɒk /

noun

1. the bony part of the tail of an animal, esp a dog or sheep
2. the part of an animal's tail left after the major part of it has been cut off

verb

1. to remove (the tail or part of the tail) of (an animal) by cutting through the bone

   to dock a tail

   to dock a horse

2. to deduct (an amount) from (a person's wages, pension, etc)

   they docked a third of his wages

dock

³

/ dɒk /

noun

1. an enclosed space in a court of law where the accused sits or stands during his trial

dock

⁴

/ dɒk /

noun

1. any of various temperate weedy plants of the polygonaceous genus Rumex, having greenish or reddish flowers and typically broad leaves
2. any of several similar or related plants

Word History and Origins

Origin of dock¹

First recorded in 1505–15; from Middle Dutch doc(ke)

Origin of dock²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English dok, Old English -docca, in fingirdoccana (genitive plural) “finger muscles”; cognate with Frisian dok, Low German docke “bundle,” Icelandic dokkur “stumpy tail,” Middle High German tocke “bundle, sheaf”

Origin of dock³

First recorded in 1580–90; perhaps from Dutch dok (dialectal sense) “cage, poultry pen, rabbit hutch”

Origin of dock⁴

First recorded before 1000; Middle English dokke, Old English docce; cognate with Middle Dutch docke, Middle High German tocke

Word History and Origins

Origin of dock¹

C14: from Middle Dutch docke; perhaps related to Latin ducere to lead

Origin of dock²

C14: dok , of uncertain origin

Origin of dock³

C16: from Flemish dok sty

Origin of dock⁴

Old English docce; related to Middle Dutch, Old Danish docke, Gaelic dogha

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in the dock, being tried in a court, especially a criminal court; on trial.

More idioms and phrases containing dock

see in the dock .

Example Sentences

Thomas Waring, then 20, was in the dock alongside gunman Connor Chapman and was convicted of assisting an offender and possession of a firearm in July 2023.

From BBC

Now Ms Buyanova was in the dock and about to learn her fate.

From BBC

The court heard the father and son, who smiled at members of their family when they appeared in the dock, had been involved in a “serious disorder” in Alum Rock in July 2018, where they both sustained serious wounds.

From BBC

Ms Dowdall and Ms Matthews sobbed and hugged in the dock after the jury returned its verdicts after six hours and 20 minutes of deliberations.

From BBC

It happened on the A4050 in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, at about 13:40 GMT on Saturday, and the road is still closed from the junction of Port Road East and Barry Dock Link Road to Pugh’s Garden Centre.

From BBC

Related Words

• berth
• harbor
• jetty
• pier
• wharf