plural socks
1
archaic
: a low shoe or slipper
2
also plural sox
ˈsäks 
: a knitted or woven covering for the foot usually worn under shoes and extending above the ankle and sometimes to the knee
: a knitted or woven covering for the foot usually worn under shoes and extending above the ankle and sometimes to the knee
3
a
: a shoe worn by actors in Greek and Roman comedy
b
: comic drama
socked; socking; socks
: to hit, strike, or apply forcefully
sock a home run
an area socked by a blizzard
: to deliver a blow : hit
: a vigorous or violent blow
also
: punch entry 3 sense 3
Phrases
sock it to
slang
: to subject to or as if to a vigorous assault
they may let you off the first time … but the second time they'll sock it to you—
James Jones
James JonesExamples of sock in a Sentence
Noun (1)
black socks to go with black pants and shoes
Verb
kept socking the punching bag until he was exhausted
Noun (2)
a wiseacre who deserves a good sock in the face
Recent Examples on the Web
Sean Emery, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
The vampy logo’d lace-ups have sock-like uppers and a cool rounded toe.
—Gretta Monahan, Boston Herald, 16 Oct. 2025
Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2025
This is a guy who swiped 32 bases a year ago and socked 28 homers two years ago.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sock
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Mead acknowledged that Kay’s wife has described Mead and another Angels staffer coming to the Kay home after a family intervention on the last day of the Angels season in 2017 and seeing in Kay’s room 60 pills divided up into baggies of 10 pills each, some hidden in socks or shoes.
—Sean Emery, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
The vampy logo’d lace-ups have sock-like uppers and a cool rounded toe.
—Gretta Monahan, Boston Herald, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
That will create opportunities for smart traders who can sock oil away in storage for when prices rise later on, Bloomberg’s Javier Blas argued.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2025
This is a guy who swiped 32 bases a year ago and socked 28 homers two years ago.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sock
Cite this Entry
“Sock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sock. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sock
2 of 3 verb
: to hit, strike, or apply forcefully : deliver a blow
sock
3 of 3 noun
: a violent blow : punch
Etymology
Noun
Old English socc "a low shoe or slipper," from Latin soccus (same meaning)
Verb
origin unknown
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