plural docks
1
a
: a place (such as a wharf or platform) for the loading or unloading of materials
b
: a usually wooden pier used as a landing place or moorage for boats
2
or docking station
: a device in which a smartphone, digital camera, etc., is placed for charging, accessing a power supply, or connecting to another electronic device
3
: a usually artificial basin or enclosure for the reception of ships that is equipped with means for controlling the water height
5
: the combining site of a molecular receptor see receptor sense b
Previous research showed that marijuana receptors, specialized proteins that serve as docks for THC, are clustered in regions of the brain known to play a role in movement disorders such as Huntington's disease.—
Kathleen Fackelmann
Kathleen Fackelmann
docked; docking; docks
1
: to haul or guide into or alongside a dock
2
: to connect an electronic device (such as a computer or a digital camera) to another device
dock the phone into the computer
3
: to join (two spacecraft) mechanically while in space
1
: to come into or alongside a dock
2
: to become docked
3
: to combine with a molecular receptor see receptor sense b
These chemical messengers travel across a tiny cleft and dock at receptors along the surface of a muscle fiber.—Bruce A. Dobkin
Bruce A. Dobkin
docked; docking; docks
1
a
: to subject to a deduction
dock someone's wages
b
: to penalize by depriving of a benefit ordinarily due
especially
: to fine by a deduction of wages
docked him for tardiness
c
: to take away a part of : abridge
2
a
: to cut (part of an animal, such as the ears or a tail) short
b
: to cut off the end of a body part of
specifically
: to remove part of the tail of
1
: the part of an animal's tail left after it has been shortened
2
: the solid part of an animal's tail as distinguished from the hair
: the place in a criminal court where a prisoner stands or sits during trial
1
: any of a genus (Rumex) of coarse weedy plants of the buckwheat family having long taproots and sometimes used as potherbs
2
: any of several usually broad-leaved weedy plants (as of the genus Silphium)
Synonyms
Examples of dock in a Sentence
Noun (1)
the boat remained tied up at the dock for a week, waiting for the weather to clear
Verb (1)
the cruise ship docked at the first port of call early the next morning
Verb (2)
the editorial was docked by about a hundred words to make it fit on the page
the boxer's tail was docked soon after birth
Recent Examples on the Web
Natalia Senanayake, People.com, 9 Oct. 2024
If hospitals wouldn’t, the state would dock their money.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 1 Oct. 2024
Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
Apple could make a charging dock that turns it into a music or smart home controller a la the Pixel Tablet.
—David Pierce, The Verge, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dock 
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Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
The Sun Princess was scheduled to dock at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Wednesday, but the port had already begun shutting down early Tuesday morning due to Hurricane Milton, the category 4 storm that’s expected to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast as soon as Wednesday night.
—Natalia Senanayake, People.com, 9 Oct. 2024
If hospitals wouldn’t, the state would dock their money.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 1 Oct. 2024
Noun
For bedside or travel use, the Trio can be used as a flat charging dock or in stand mode thanks to a foldable design.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
Apple could make a charging dock that turns it into a music or smart home controller a la the Pixel Tablet.
—David Pierce, The Verge, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dock
Articles Related to dock
Dictionary Entries Near dock
Cite this Entry
“Dock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dock. Accessed 9 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dock
1 of 5 noun
: any of a genus of coarse weedy plants which are related to the buckwheat and some of which are cooked for food
dock
2 of 5 verb1
: to cut off the end of : cut short
a docked tail
2
: to take away a part of : make a deduction from
3
: to deprive of something due because of a fault
was docked for being late
dock
3 of 5 noun1
: a usually artificial basin to receive ships that has gates to control the water height
3
: a wharf or platform for loading and unloading
4
: a usually wooden pier used as a landing place or moorage
dock
4 of 5 verb1
: to bring or come into or alongside a dock
2
: to join (as two spacecraft) mechanically while in space
dock
5 of 5 noun
: the place in a court where a prisoner stands or sits during trial
Etymology
Noun
Old English docce "the dock plant"
Verb
Middle English docken "to cut off the end of a tail," from dok, docke "end of an animal's tail"
Noun
probably from early Dutch docke "ditch, dock"
Noun
from a Dutch dialect word docke "cage"
Medical Definition
dock
1 of 2 noun
: any plant of the genus Rumex
dock
2 of 2 intransitive verb
: to combine with a molecular receptor
the AIDS virus docked at the T cell receptor
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