Meaning & use
sock
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Meanings
nouncountable
A soft piece of clothing that covers the foot and often the lower leg, worn inside a shoe.
Grammar: Countable: one sock, two socks. Often used in the plural for a pair.
Patterns
- a pair of socks
- put on socks
- take off socks
I can't find my other sock; it must be under the bed.
He packed three pairs of socks for the trip.
These wool socks keep my feet warm in winter.
verbtransitiveinformal
To hit someone hard with the fist.
Grammar: Takes an object: sock someone (on the jaw).
Patterns
- sock someone
- sock someone in/on something
The boxer socked his opponent in the jaw.
Don't sock your brother just because he took your toy.
nouncountableinformal
A hard hit with the fist.
Grammar: Countable: give someone a sock.
Patterns
- give someone a sock
- take a sock
He gave the punching bag a good sock.
The bully took a sock to the nose and ran away.
Word forms
| plural | socks |
|---|---|
| third person singular | socks |
| past tense | socked |
| past participle | socked |
| -ing form | socking |
Common combinations
- a pair of socks
- She bought a pair of socks at the market.
- put on socks
- Put on your socks before you put on your shoes.
- take off socks
- He took off his socks and left them on the floor.
- wool socks
- Wool socks are great for hiking.
- sock drawer
- The sock drawer is full of mismatched pairs.
- sock puppet
- The children made a sock puppet from an old sock.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- sockless adjective
- Wearing no socks.
- sock puppet noun
- A puppet made from a sock, or a false online identity.
Commonly confused: sock or sock?
sock vs sock
The verb 'sock' means to hit, not to put on a sock. For clothing, use it as a noun.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'sock' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The verb 'sock' takes 'in' or 'on' for the body part: sock someone in/on the jaw. 'With' and 'by' do not fit this structure.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sock”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.