as in penitentiaries
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 pawns
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
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 hocks
Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 1 Apr. 2026
Noun
Made with two hocks and bacon, the greens and the potlikker are powerfully rich and savory.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 1 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hocks
Noun
-
Behind bars in state penitentiaries in Gatesville and Marlin, Mejia felt forgotten.—
Emiliano Tahui Gómez,
Austin American Statesman,
17 Mar. 2026
-
The wave of prison violence is happening despite the deployment of military and police forces in several penitentiaries.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
8 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
For decades, the Orange County branch of the Mexican Mafia was led by Peter Ojeda, a longtime Santa Ana gang chieftain who maintained control over the local streets and jails even after a federal racketeering conviction in 2006 left him in a prison cell three time zones away.—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
23 Apr. 2026
-
He has been held in jails in New York and Los Angeles, and for a time in New York state prison, since his first conviction in 2020.—
Karla Cote,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In less than 10 minutes, a wooden bridge deposits us on the doorstep of a cinematic landscape that unfurls into a seemingly endless patchwork of rolling hills and glens in hues of umber, cinnamon, and ochre, flanked by mountains standing sentinel on either side.—
Jen Murphy,
Robb Report,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Commuter trains run from Washington’s Union Station to Baltimore’s Camden Station, which deposits fans right outside Oriole Park at Camden Yards.—
Fritz Hahn,
Washington Post,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Mexican Mafia, described as the largest and most powerful gang operating from inside state prisons, controls gangs throughout Southern California.—
Brittny Mejia,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
These journalists filled space with their reviews and a host of other stories related to theater including the work of theater productions in prisons, education, and other areas.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Those are the players in recent memory who’ve commanded the kind of draft capital that reshapes franchises — the sort of seismic move that mortgages a future and, in return, attaches expectations normally reserved for franchise-carrying superstars.—
Kristian Winfield,
Hartford Courant,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The visual, which was edited by Mikayla LoBasso, was filmed inside of a stationery store, featuring the song’s lyrics written with different pens on paper scattered throughout the store.—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Kids who didn’t bring pens with them scrambled to borrow one from anybody — the adults on the field, their parents in the stands, even a reporter standing nearby.—
Ryan Finley,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
By looking at the topology of these aspects, the researchers classified three-revolute robots (those with three joints) into six categories.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The height of three bricks plus three mortar joints equals 8 inches.—
Tim Carter,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hocks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hocks. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
