# dock

/ˈdɑk/ (US) · /dˈɒk/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/dock
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. for ships

noun · CEFR B1

a place in a port where ships are loaded, unloaded, or repaired.

For teachers: a structure extending from the shore or an enclosed area of water in a port for the mooring, loading, and unloading of vessels.

- The cruise ship pulled into the dock early in the morning to let the passengers off.
- The freighter remained at the dock for three days while crews worked around the clock to discharge the containerised cargo.

### 2. in a courtroom

noun · CEFR B2

the place in a court of law where the person accused of a crime stands or sits.

For teachers: the enclosed area in a criminal court where the defendant is situated during a trial.

- The prisoner stood in the dock and waited for the jury to announce the verdict.
- As the charges were read aloud, the defendant sat motionless in the dock, staring fixedly at the judge.

### 3. electronic base

noun · CEFR B1

a device you put a phone or laptop into to charge it or connect it to other equipment.

For teachers: a stationary device providing power and peripheral connections for portable electronic hardware.

- I keep a laptop dock on my desk so I can easily use a bigger monitor.
- The universal dock allows employees to transition seamlessly from mobile field work to a full desktop environment.

### 4. to park a ship

verb · CEFR B1

to bring a ship or boat into a dock.

For teachers: to maneuver a vessel into a berth or alongside a pier; also used for the physical coupling of spacecraft.

- The captain had to move slowly to dock the large ferry safely in the narrow harbour.
- The automated system was designed to dock the supply capsule with the space station without requiring manual intervention from the ground crew.

### 5. to reduce pay

verb · CEFR B2

to take away part of someone's wages or points as a punishment.

For teachers: to deduct a portion of money from wages or to reduce an earned score as a penalty.

- The company will dock your pay if you are late for work more than three times.
- The governing body decided to dock the team three points following a breach of the league's financial regulations.

### 6. to join together

verb · CEFR B2

to connect two things together, like a phone to a computer or two parts of a machine.

For teachers: to join or couple two separate entities, such as hardware components or software interface elements.

- You can dock the tablet into the keyboard to use it like a laptop.
- The software allows users to dock various toolbars along the edges of the workspace to maximise the central drawing area.

### 7. a weed

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a common wild plant with large, green leaves.

For teachers: any of various plants of the genus Rumex, often regarded as weeds.

- If you get stung by a nettle, rubbing a dock leaf on the skin might help.
- The meadow was overgrown with dock and thistle, indicating that the soil had not been tilled for several seasons.

## Examples

- The boat is tied to the dock.
- We spent the afternoon sitting on the wooden dock watching the sunset over the lake.
- The massive container ship slowly approached the industrial dock, where a team of workers waited to secure the heavy mooring lines.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.