Meaning & use
stocking
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Meanings
nouncountable
A close-fitting piece of clothing made of thin, often knitted material that covers the foot and leg.
Grammar: Countable; usually plural in everyday use, but a single one is 'a stocking'.
Patterns
- a pair of stockings
- wear stockings
- silk stockings
She wore black stockings with her new dress.
He bought me a pair of wool stockings for winter.
The dancer's stockings were torn at the knee.
nouncountable
A large sock, often brightly colored, hung up for presents at Christmas.
Grammar: Countable; often used in the phrase 'Christmas stocking'.
Patterns
- Christmas stocking
- hang up a stocking
- fill a stocking
The children hung their stockings by the fireplace.
Santa filled each stocking with small toys and candy.
She found a chocolate coin at the bottom of her stocking.
Word forms
| plural | stockings |
|---|
Common combinations
- a pair of stockings
- She packed two pairs of stockings for the trip.
- silk stockings
- The bride wore white silk stockings.
- Christmas stocking
- He got a toy car in his Christmas stocking.
- stocking cap
- He pulled his stocking cap down over his ears.
- run in a stocking
- I got a run in my stocking on the way to work.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sock
- A sock is usually shorter and thicker, covering the foot and ankle, while a stocking typically reaches higher up the leg.
- tights
- Tights cover both legs and the waist in one piece, but a stocking covers only one leg.
- hosiery
- Hosiery is a general term for stockings and similar leg coverings, not a single item.
Word family
- stockinged adjective
- Wearing stockings; used in phrases like 'stockinged feet'.
Commonly confused: stocking or socking?
stocking vs socking
Socking is the -ing form of the verb 'sock' (to hit hard) or an adjective meaning very (informal), not a piece of clothing.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
The correct phrase is 'a pair of stockings' because stockings are countable and usually used in the plural. 'A pair of stocking' is wrong because the noun must be plural after 'a pair of'. 'A stocking pair' and 'a stockings' are not standard English.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stocking”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.