Meaning & use
jock
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Meanings
nouncountableinformalAmerican
A person, especially a student, who is very keen on sports and athletic, often thought to care less about studies.
Grammar: Informal and can sound stereotyping, especially in American English.
Patterns
- a high school/college jock
- a jock type
In high school he was a jock who played football and baseball.
The movie shows the jocks and the nerds sitting at separate tables.
She is a former jock who now coaches a youth team.
nouncountableinformalold-fashioned
A disc jockey, a person who plays recorded music on the radio or at a club.
Grammar: Informal shortening of disc jockey, often in a compound such as radio jock.
Patterns
- a radio jock
The radio jock played our request just before midnight.
Thousands of listeners tuned in to hear the morning jock.
He started as a club jock before moving into radio.
nouncountableinformal
An athletic supporter, a piece of protective underwear worn by men during sport; also called a jockstrap.
Grammar: Informal short form of jockstrap.
Patterns
- wear a jock
The coach reminded the boys to bring a jock to practice.
He forgot his jock and had to borrow one from the locker room.
The store sells jocks in several sizes.
Word forms
| plural | jocks |
|---|
Common combinations
- high school jock
- He was a high school jock with a letter jacket.
- college jock
- The college jocks filled the front rows of the stadium.
- dumb jock
- Calling someone a dumb jock is an unfair stereotype.
- radio jock
- The radio jock opened with a joke.
- former jock
- Now a doctor, she was a former jock at school.
Synonyms and how they differ
- athlete
- Athlete is neutral and respectful, while jock is informal and may suggest a stereotype of sporty people.
- sportsman
- Sportsman is a formal word for someone who plays sports and carries no student stereotype.
- sports fanatic
- Sports fanatic describes someone obsessed with sport, without necessarily being an athlete.
- DJ
- DJ is the standard short form for a disc jockey and is used more widely than jock for the music sense.
Opposites
Word family
- jockey noun
- a person who rides horses in races
- jockstrap noun
- a supporter worn under sports clothing
Commonly confused: jock or jockey?
jock vs jockey
A jockey is a rider in horse races, while jock is an informal word for a sporty person.
Practice
In an American high school movie, the 'jock' is most likely ___.
Choose one answer.
A jock is an athletic student devoted to sports. The librarian, science club head and music teacher are not what the word suggests.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “jock”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.