English Reference

Word

sock

US/ˈsɑk/

UK/sˈɒk/

Definitions

01footwear

A2

n. a piece of clothing that you wear on your foot inside your shoe.

n. a knitted or woven covering for the foot and lower leg, typically worn inside a shoe.

“He realized he was wearing one black sock and one blue sock.”

“The hiker opted for thick woollen socks to prevent blisters during the long ascent up the mountain trail.”

Synonyms

hosiery

02a hard hit

C1

n. a hard hit or punch with a fist.

n. a powerful physical blow or punch delivered with the fist.

“The hero gave the villain a good sock on the jaw.”

“In the old comic books, a physical confrontation often ended with a satisfying sock to the nose of the antagonist.”

Informal · Slang

Synonyms

punchblowwallop

03fake online account

C1 · Computing

n. a fake social media account used by someone to hide their real identity.

n. an abbreviation of 'sock puppet', referring to a secondary online identity used for purposes of deception or manipulation.

“The celebrity was caught using a sock to defend his own posts.”

“Moderators quickly identified the user as a sock created specifically to circumvent the forum's permanent ban.”

Informal · Slang

Synonyms

sock puppetaliasalt

04wind indicator

C1 · Aviation

n. a tube of cloth at an airport that shows which way the wind is blowing.

n. a truncated cloth cone used at airfields to indicate wind direction and approximate speed.

“The pilot looked at the sock to check the wind before landing.”

“The orange sock stood out against the grey sky, indicating a strong crosswind that would make the landing challenging.”

Technical

Synonyms

windsockdrogue

05to hit hard

C1

v. to hit someone or something very hard.

v. to strike someone or something with significant force, usually with the fist.

“He wanted to sock the man who had insulted his family.”

“The boxer managed to sock his opponent squarely in the ribs, momentarily taking his breath away.”

Informal · Slang

Synonyms

punchstrikeclobber

Etymology

From Middle English socke, sokke, sok, from Old English socc (“sock, light shoe, slipper”), a West Germanic borrowing from Latin soccus (“a light shoe or slipper, buskin”), from Ancient Greek σύκχος (súkkhos, “a kind of shoe”), probably from Phrygian or from an Anatolian language. Beekes compares Avestan 𐬵𐬀𐬑𐬀 (haxa, “sole of the foot”). Cognate with Scots sok (“sock, stocking”), West Frisian sok (“sock”), Dutch sok (“sock”), German Socke (“sock”), Danish sok, sokke (“sock”), Swedish sock, socka (“sock”), Icelandic sokkur (“sock”). Doublet of zocco; also related to zoccolo, socle, and zocalo.

Onomatopoeic. Compare Portuguese soco (“a hit with one's hand; a punch”).

From French soc.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Idioms

almond Rocks — socks

fox's socks — Something or someone that is ideal or very pleasing.

knock someone's socks off — To impress greatly; amaze; stun.

one's socks off — With a large amount of effort or intensity.

pull one's socks up — To start making an effort; to renew or redouble one's efforts.

put a sock in it — To stop talking; to be quiet; to shut one's mouth.

Domains

AviationComputing

This entry

Level
A2 · Elementary
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

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English Reference