cock

SayKOK/kɑk//kɒk/

Pluralcocks

Verbcocks, cocking, cocked

28 meanings of cock

Practice

1
penisnounvulgarcolloquialcountable or uncountable
A very rude word for a penis.
Someone drew a cock on the bathroom wall at work, and the boss was angry.
He made a crude joke about his cock, and some people walked out.
UsagePenis is the normal polite word. People often say rooster for the bird to avoid this word.
Similardick, prick
Note
2
roosternouncountable or uncountable
A male bird, especially a male chicken, also called a rooster.
The cock woke everyone up with its loud call.
Our farm has two cocks and ten hens.
UsageThe female is a hen. Many people say rooster instead.
Similarrooster, cockerel
Oppositehen
Note
3
tilt upverbtransitive
To tilt your head, eye, or hat up or to one side, often to look clever or doubtful.
She cocked her cap to one side to look cool.
Horses cock their ears when they hear a strange noise.
UsageCommon phrases: cock your head, cock an eyebrow, cock an ear.
Similartilt, tip, incline, raise
4
ready to fireverbtransitive or intransitive
To get a gun or crossbow ready to fire, for example by pulling back the gun's hammer.
The soldier cocked his gun but did not shoot.
Wait until I tell you to cock and fire.
Note
5
valvenouncountable or uncountable
A tap or valve that you turn to let water or gas flow or stop.
Turn the cock to stop the water before you fix the sink.
Water dripped from the old brass cock in the basement.
UsageMostly in words like stopcock.
Similarvalve, tap, stopcock, spigot

Less common meanings

6
leadernoundatedhumorouscountable or uncountable
The person who leads a group or is the boss of it.
Grandpa was cock of the farm, and everyone did what he said.
My big brother thinks he is cock of the whole school.
UsageSay cock of the walk for someone who acts like the boss.
Similarboss, chief, master, king
Note
7
nounslangderogatoryvulgarCommonwealthIrelandUKcountable or uncountable
A rude word for a stupid or very annoying person.
My brother acted like a total cock at the party.
Stop being a cock and say sorry to her.
UsageSaid as don't be a cock or you cock.
Similaridiot, jerk, prat, dick
Note
8
dawn crowingnounarchaiccountable or uncountable
The sound a rooster makes, especially the first time it crows in the morning.
At first cock, the monks rose from their beds to pray.
And here we are, half-way to Alcalá, between cocks and midnight.
1842, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Poems …Here, cocks means the crowing of roosters early in the morning.
UsageOften at first cock, meaning very early.
Similarcockcrow
Note
9
fellownounslangCommonwealthIrelandUKcountable or uncountable
A word for a man, often used to greet a male friend.
Thanks for the lift, cock!
The old cock at the corner shop always gives the kids sweets.
Similarmate, pal, chap, fellow
Note
10
nouncountable or uncountable
The hammer of a gun, the part pulled back before firing.
She pulled back the cock of the old pistol.
The cock on Grandpa's old musket is broken, so it will not fire.
Similarhammer
Note
11
weather vanenouncountable or uncountable
A weather vane in the shape of a rooster, which turns to show the wind.
The cock on top of the old church turns when the wind blows.
Look at the cock on the barn. The wind is coming from the west.
Similarweathercock, weathervane, vane
12
hay pilenouncountable
A small pile of hay or grass shaped like a cone.
The children jumped into a cock of hay and scattered it everywhere.
We left the hay in cocks overnight and carried it in the next day.
Similarhaycock, pile, heap
Note
13
nouncountable or uncountable
The way something is turned up or tilted to one side, like a hat or a head.
With a cock of his head, the dog listened to the strange noise.
I liked the proud cock of his cap.
Similartilt, angle
Note
14
nonsensenounslangmildly vulgarCommonwealthIrelandUKuncountable
Silly talk that is not true.
Don't believe him. It's all cock.
What a load of cock that advert was!
UsageSay a load of cock or talk cock.
Similarrubbish, nonsense, rot, bollocks, tripe
Note
15
badmintonnouncolloquialcountable or uncountable
A shuttlecock, the small object players hit over the net in badminton.
Our badminton set came with two rackets and one plastic cock.
She hit the cock high over the net, and her brother missed it.
Similarshuttlecock, shuttle, birdie
16
male fishnouncountable or uncountable
A male fish, most often a salmon or a trout.
The fisherman said the trout he caught was a cock, not a hen.
In the fall the salmon swim up the river, and the cocks fight for the best spots.
Note
17
verbdatedintransitive
To walk in a proud way and try to look big, bold, or scary.
Similarstrut, swagger, swank
Note
18
damninterjectionslangIrelandUK
Something you say when you are annoyed.
Cock! I missed the bus again.
Oh, cock, I forgot my homework.
Similardamn, blast, bugger, bollocks
19
stack hayverbtransitive
To put something, such as cut hay, into piles.
Farmers cock the cut grass into small heaps.
We cocked the hay in the afternoon and took it home the next day.
Similarpile, heap, stack
Note
20
proper nounobsolete
A changed form of the word God that people once used when swearing an oath.
Note
21
verbslangBritishIreland
To have sex with someone, or to break or ruin something.
22
noundialectalSouthern US
A woman's sex organs, either the outer part or the passage inside.
The dog come a-trottin' and the dog come a-lopin' A purty little gal with her cock wide open.
1992, Vance Randolph, Unprintable Ozark Folksongs and Folklore: Roll me in your armsHere, cock is a rude word for a woman's sex organs.
23
noun
A small bridge in a clock or watch that holds the pin the balance wheel turns on.
24
noun
Short for cock-boat, which is a kind of small boat.
25
noun
In curling, the circle marked at the end of the ice.
26
noun
The part of a sundial that throws the shadow showing the time.
27
noun
The pointer on a weighing scale that shows when both sides weigh the same.
The cock, or pointer, which makes a right angle with the beam, will stand upright when the weighing is accurate.
1833, John Holland, Treatise on the Manufactures in MetalHere, cock means the pointer on a scale that shows when it is level.
28
verbobsolete
To give a child too much care and spoil it.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of cock apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–11, 13–18

From Old English coc, an old Germanic word for a male bird, probably copying the sound the bird makes.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

Cock descends from Old English coc. en.wiktionary.org
The Old English word meant a male bird. en.wiktionary.org
The word has Germanic ancestry and probably originated in imitation of the bird's call. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 12, 19

Probably from an Old English word meaning a heap or pile; similar Scandinavian words mean a heap or lump.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

The proposed source is Old English *cocc, meaning heap or pile. en.wiktionary.org
Related Scandinavian words mean heap or lump. en.wiktionary.org