I. cock 1 /kɒk $ kɑːk/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: cocc 'male chicken' ]
1 . CHICKEN an adult male chicken SYN rooster British English ⇨ hen :
A cock crowed in the distance.
2 . MALE BIRD especially British English an adult male bird of any kind:
A cock pheasant rose from the hill in front of me.
3 . SEX ORGAN informal not polite a ↑ penis
4 . cock and bull story British English a story or excuse that is silly and unlikely but is told as if it were true:
a cock and bull story about the dog eating her homework
5 . OBJECT THAT CONTROLS FLOW something that controls the flow of liquid or gas out of a pipe or container SYN tap ⇨ ↑ ballcock , ↑ stopcock
6 . MAN British English old-fashioned used by some people when talking to a man they know well
⇨ ↑ half cocked
II. cock 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
1 . to lift a part of your body, or hold a part of your body at an angle:
She cocked her head and considered the offer.
He cocked a quizzical eyebrow at her.
2 . to pull back the ↑ hammer of a gun so that it is ready to be fired
3 . to move your hat so that it is at an angle
4 . cock an ear/eye to listen or look very carefully:
The little dog looked up and cocked its ears.
5 . cock a snook at somebody/something British English informal to show clearly that you do not respect someone or something:
He has always tried to cock a snook at authority.
cock something ↔ up phrasal verb British English informal not polite
to spoil something by making a stupid mistake or doing it badly:
His secretary cocked up his travelling schedule and he’s furious about it.
⇨ ↑ cock-up