socket

[ sok-it ]

noun

1. a hollow part or piece for receiving and holding some part or thing.
2. Electricity.
   1. a device intended to hold an electric light bulb mechanically and connect it electrically to circuit wires.
   2. Also called wall socket. a socket placed in a wall to receive a plug that makes an electrical connection with supply wiring.
3. Anatomy.
   1. a hollow in one part that receives another part:

      the socket of the eye.

   2. the concavity of a joint:

      the socket of the hip.

verb (used with object)

1. to place in or fit with a socket.

socket

/ ˈsɒkɪt /

noun

1. a device into which an electric plug can be inserted in order to make a connection in a circuit
2. such a device mounted on a wall and connected to the electricity supply Informal Brit namespointplug US and Canadian nameoutlet
3. a part with an opening or hollow into which some other part, such as a pipe, probe, etc, can be fitted
4. a spanner head having a recess suitable to be fitted over the head of a bolt and a keyway into which a wrench can be fitted
5. anatomy
   1. a bony hollow into which a part or structure fits

      an eye socket

      a tooth socket

   2. the receptacle of a ball-and-socket joint

verb

1. tr to furnish with or place into a socket

Other Words From

• socket·less adjective
• un·socket·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of socket¹

1300–50; Middle English soket < Anglo-French, equivalent to Old French soc plowshare (< Gaulish *soccos; compare Welsh swch, Old Irish socc ) + -et -et

Word History and Origins

Origin of socket¹

C13: from Anglo-Norman soket a little ploughshare, from soc, of Celtic origin; compare Cornish soch ploughshare

Example Sentences

According to Roberts, Ohtani sustained a shoulder subluxation, essentially a partial dislocation less severe than if his shoulder had fully come out of its socket.

From Los Angeles Times

A motorist suffered a broken jaw and eye socket during a robbery in which his vehicle was pulled over by a fake police car after a motorway collision.

From BBC

Since then, doctors have fitted a small white sphere in her empty eye socket.

From BBC

While he is no stranger to high-pressure situations and large crowds, little could have prepared Dubois for such a momentous night on the grandest stage - and four years on from a loss to another Briton in Joe Joyce, when he suffered a fractured eye socket and was called a "quitter" for taking a knee when failing to beat the count.

From BBC

Dubois suffered a broken eye socket during his loss to Joe Joyce in 2020, having taken a knee and missed the count.

From BBC

Related Words

• channel
• groove
• hole
• niche
• position
• space
• vacancy