Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense cocks, present participle cocking, past tense, past participle cocked
1. countable noun
A cock is an adult male chicken.
[mainly British]
The cock was announcing the start of a new day.
regional note: in AM, use rooster
2. countable noun [oft NOUN noun]
You refer to a male bird, especially a male game bird, as a cock when you want to distinguish it from a female bird.
[mainly British]
...a cock pheasant.
3. countable noun
A man's cock is his penis.
[informal, very rude]
4. verb
If you cock a part of your body in a particular direction, you lift it or point it in that direction.
He paused and cocked his head as if listening. [VERB noun]
The Brigadier thought about this for a moment, head cocked to one side. [VERB-ed]
5. verb
If someone cocks their ear, they try very hard to hear something from a particular direction.
He suddenly cocked an ear and listened. [VERB noun]
All ears were cocked for the footsteps on the stairs. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: raise, prick up, perk up More Synonyms of cock
6. verb
When someone cocks a gun, they set a small device in the gun so that it is ready to fire.
His hands were too weak to cock his revolver. [VERB noun]
7. See also stopcock
8. to cock a snook at someone
Phrasal verbs:
See cock up
cock in British English1
(kɒk)
noun
1.
the male of the domestic fowl
2.
a.
any other male bird
b.
the male of certain other animals, such as the lobster
c.
(as modifier)
a cock sparrow
3. short for stopcock, weathercock
4. a taboo slang word for penis
5.
a.
the hammer of a firearm
b.
its position when the firearm is ready to be discharged
6. British informal
a friend, mate, or fellow
7.
a jaunty or significant tilting or turning upwards
a cock of the head
8. British informal
nonsense
verb
9. (transitive)
to set the firing pin, hammer, or breech block of (a firearm) so that a pull on the trigger will release it and thus fire the weapon
10. (transitive)
to set the shutter mechanism of (a camera) so that the shutter can be tripped by pressing the shutter-release button
11. (transitive; sometimes foll byup)
to raise in an alert or jaunty manner
12. (intransitive)
to stick or stand up conspicuously
Word origin
Old English cocc (referring to the male fowl; the development of C15 sense spout, tap, and other transferredsenses is not clear), ultimately of imitative origin; related to Old Norse kokkr, French coq, Late Latin coccus
cock in British English2
(kɒk)
noun
1.
a small, cone-shaped heap of hay, straw, etc
verb
2. (transitive)
to stack (hay, straw, etc) in such heaps
Word origin
C14 (in Old English, cocc is attested in place names): perhaps of Scandinavian origin; compare Norwegian kok, Danish dialect kok
cock in American English1
(kɑk)
noun
1.
a.
the male of the chicken; rooster
b.
the male of certain other birds
2. Archaic
a.
the crowing of a rooster, esp. at sunrise
b.
cockcrow
3.
a woodcock
4.
a weather vane in the shape of a rooster; weathercock
5.
a leader or chief, esp. one with some boldness or arrogance
6.
a faucet or valve for regulating the flow of a liquid or gas
7.
a.
the hammer of a firearm
b.
the position of such a hammer when set for firing
8.
a tilting or turning upward, as of the eye or ear
9.
a jaunty, erect position
the cock of a hat
10. Slang, Vulgar
the penis
verb transitive
11.
to tilt or set (a hat, etc.) jauntily on one side
12.
to raise to an erect position
a dog cocks his ears
13.
to tilt or turn (the eye or ear) toward something
14.
a.
to set the hammer of (a gun) in firing position
b.
to set (a tripping device, as for the shutter of a camera) ready to be released
15.
to draw back (one's fist, arm, etc.) ready to strike
verb intransitive
16.
to assume an erect or tilted position
17. Archaic
to behave in a cocky way; strut
Word origin
ME cok < OE coc & OFr coq, like Dan kok, ON kokkr, of echoic orig.
cock in American English2
(kɑk)
noun
1.
a small, cone-shaped pile, as of hay
verb transitive
2.
to pile in cocks
Word origin
ME cokke, akin to ON køkkr, Dan kok, a pile < IE *quqā- < base *gēu-: see cog1
More idioms containing
cock
a cock and bull story
In other languages
cock
British English: cock /kɒk/ NOUN
A cock is an adult male chicken.
American English: rooster
Arabic: دِيك
Brazilian Portuguese: galo
Chinese: 公鸡
Croatian: pijetao
Czech: kohout
Danish: hane dyr
Dutch: haan
European Spanish: gallo
Finnish: kukko
French: coq
German: Hahn Tier
Greek: κόκορας
Italian: gallo
Japanese: おんどり
Korean: 수탉
Norwegian: hane
Polish: kogut
European Portuguese: galo
Romanian: cocoș
Russian: петух
Latin American Spanish: gallo
Swedish: tupp
Thai: ไก่ตัวผู้
Turkish: horoz
Ukrainian: півень
Vietnamese: gà trống
All related terms of 'cock'
cock up
If you cock something up , you ruin it by doing something wrong .
re-cock
to cock (a gun ) again
air cock
a small tap or valve for controlling the entrance or escape of air from a pipe , chamber , etc.
ball cock
a device for regulating the flow of a liquid into a tank , cistern , etc, consisting of a floating ball mounted at one end of an arm and a valve on the other end that opens and closes as the ball falls and rises with the water level in the cistern
cock rock
an aggressive style of rock music performed by male bands
cold-cock
to strike so as to make unconscious
half-cock
on a single-action firearm , a halfway position in which the hammer can be set for safety ; in this position the trigger is cocked by the hammer which cannot reach the primer to fire the weapon
cock-teaser
a person who acts flirtatiously with a man and appears to be sexually available , but does not engage in sexual activity
escape cock
a valve that releases air, steam , etc, above a certain pressure ; relief valve or safety valve
heath cock
→ blackcock
storm-cock
a large European thrush , Turdus viscivorus, with a brown back and spotted breast , noted for feeding on mistletoe berries
turkey cock
a male turkey
cock feather
the odd-coloured feather set on the shaft of an arrow at right angles to the nock
cock lobster
a male lobster
cock sparrow
a male sparrow
fighting cock
a pugnacious person
chaparral cock
→ roadrunner
cock-a-hoop
If you are cock-a-hoop , you are extremely pleased about something that you have done.
cock a snook
to make a rude gesture by putting one thumb to the nose with the fingers of the hand outstretched
cock-a-leekie
a soup made by boiling chicken with leeks
cock-of-the-rock
either of two tropical South American birds, Rupicola rupicola or R . peruviana, having an erectile crest and (in the male ) a brilliant red or orange plumage : family Cotingidae ( cotingas )
cock of the walk
a person who asserts himself or herself in a strutting pompous way
cockeyed
If you say that an idea or scheme is cockeyed , you mean that you think it is very unlikely to succeed .
cock-a-doodle-doo
an imitation or representation of a cock crowing
cock-a-leekie soup
a soup made from a fowl boiled with leeks
cock-and-bull story
If you describe something that someone tells you as a cock-and-bull story , you mean that you do not believe it is true .
go off at half-cock
to fail as a result of inadequate preparation or premature starting
orchard grass
a weedy grass, Dactylis glomerata , often grown for pastures
a cock and bull story
a story that you do not believe
to cock a snook at someone
If you cock a snook at someone in authority or at an organization, you do something that they cannot punish you for, but which insults them or expresses your contempt .
cockup
something done badly
cockieleekie soup
a soup made from a fowl boiled with leeks
escape
If you escape from a place, you succeed in getting away from it.
narrow squeak
an escape only just managed
near squeak
an escape
go off half-cocked
to be unsuccessful in what you are trying to do, because you have not taken enough care or prepared properly
Chinese translation of 'cock'
cock
(kɔk)
n(c)
(Brit) 公鸡(雞) (gōngjī) (只, zhī)
美 = rooster
(Brit, = male bird) 雄禽 (xióngqín)
(inf!, = penis) 阴(陰)茎(莖) (yīnjīng)
vt
[head, ear]翘(翹)起 (qiàoqǐ)
[gun]扳起 ... 的扳机(機) (bānqǐ ... de bānjī)
1 (noun)
Definition
a male bird, esp. of domestic fowl
We heard the sound of a cock crowing in the yard.
Synonyms
cockerel
rooster
chanticleer
2 (noun)
Definition
a penis
(taboo, slang)
Synonyms
phallus
member
tool (taboo, slang)
dick (taboo, slang)
organ
wang (US, slang)
prick (taboo, slang)
knob (British, taboo, slang)
chopper (British, slang)
plonker (slang)
dong (slang)
winkle (British, slang)
pecker (US, Canadian, taboo, slang)
John Thomas (taboo, slang)
weenie (US, slang)
whang (US, slang)
tadger (British, slang)
schlong (US, slang)
pizzle (archaic, dialect)
willie or willy (British, informal)
(verb)
Definition
to lift and turn (part of the body) in a particular direction