dock 1 of 3

noun

ˈdäk How to pronounce dock (audio)
Definition of docknext
as in wharf
a structure used by boats and ships for taking on or landing cargo and passengers the boat remained tied up at the dock for a week, waiting for the weather to clear

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dock

2 of 3

verb (1)

1
as in to shorten
to make less in extent or duration the editorial was docked by about a hundred words to make it fit on the page

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2
as in to shave
to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument the boxer's tail was docked soon after birth

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dock

3 of 3

verb (2)

as in to land
to stop at or near a place along the shore the cruise ship docked at the first port of call early the next morning

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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 dock
Noun
The smart obstacle sensors steer clear of toys and stray charging cables, while the multi-stage dock automatically washes and dries the pads between cycles. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026 Portions of Highway 12 remain closed between Pony Pens and the ferry dock. — Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 27 Sep. 2026
Verb
These Starship tankers would carry propellant to lunar orbit, where each would rendezvous with, dock to and transfer propellant to a storage depot. — Sven Bilén, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2026 During a test flight in low Earth orbit next year — Artemis III — NASA plans to launch four astronauts in an Orion capsule who will attempt to rendezvous and dock with prototype landers launched separately by SpaceX and Blue Origin. — William Harwood, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dock
  1. wharf
  2. shorten
  3. shave
  4. land
  5. pier
  6. cut back
  7. cut
  8. anchor
Noun
  • Their transatlantic journey is slated to begin in Portsmouth, but once there Håkan loses sight of his brother in the crowds along the wharf.
    — Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
  • But in 1820, Shippingport had about 600 residents, three wharves for steamboats, taverns and a flour mill.
    — Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of wharf
Verb
  • Repeatable return could help Exobiosphere shorten experimental cycles and advance promising findings toward practical applications.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Potentially lifesaving and cost-saving decisions to shorten courses, redistribute staff, streamline, or expand resources could come from quantified inputs, in conjunction with prior experience.
    — Vibhu Krishna, STAT, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of shorten
Verb
  • Judge Underhill could have added to the 10 years of incarceration that the federal sentencing guidelines recommend but instead departed downward from them and shaved three years off them.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The option could be useful when customers don’t have enough miles for the entire ticket and are looking to shave some cash off the ticket price.
    — Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of shave
Verb
  • Japan's military said the missile landed in waters outside its exclusive economic zone.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Brian Oswald, a 69-year-old retired forestry professor from Nacogdoches, Texas, came straight to Oktoberfest after landing on an overnight flight from the United States.
    — Erik Kirschbaum, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of land
Noun
  • The city’s postcard sights and destination-worthy dining spots require at least a 20-minute taxi drive or a hop on The Siam’s boat, which can drop you off at most piers along the river.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • But after circling a few times, the shark spat out the bait, leaving fishermen on the pier stunned.
    — Jasmine Mendez Follow, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of pier
Verb
  • While many breweries are indeed closing or cutting back, some more expansive taprooms with food options — including 30hop and Big Grove Brewery — are making a splash in the metro.
    — Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2026
  • That would allow the market to self-correct by cutting back on spending.
    — Taylor Millard, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of cut back
Verb
  • For decades, the European Union has led the world in implementing policies designed to cut emissions, creating the world’s most important price on carbon and crafting the rules of the road for a wide range of regulatory efforts.
    — Justin Worland, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Staff cut raw chicken and then proceeded to cut lamb without washing, rinsing and sanitizing cutting boards and prep tables.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of cut
Verb
  • Borisov’s brainy, tender, deeply contemplative performance lends an anchoring humanity to a film that might otherwise have curdled into sourness and despair — though there’s plenty of reason for that.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Charles Shepard, who anchored the Observer’s Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of PTL in the 1980s, said history will remember Bakker for both his rise and his fall.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of anchor

Browse Nearby Words

docility
dock
docked
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Cite this Entry

“Dock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dock. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on dock

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dock

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