I. sock 1 S3 /sɒk $ sɑːk/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Sense 1,3-4: Language: Old English ; Origin: socc , from Latin soccus 'light shoe' ]
[ Sense 2,5: Date: 1600-1700 ; Origin: ⇨ ↑ sock 2 ]
1 . a piece of clothing made of soft material that you wear on your foot inside your shoe:
a pair of socks
white ankle socks
2 . knock/blow sb’s socks off informal to surprise and excite someone very much:
a new band that will knock your socks off
3 . pull your socks up especially British English informal to make an effort to improve your behaviour or your work:
If they want promotion, United have got to pull their socks up.
4 . put a sock in it informal used to tell someone in a joking way to stop talking or making a noise
5 . informal a hard hit, especially with your hand closed:
Larry gave him a sock on the arm.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ phrases
▪ a pair of socks
He had a spare pair of socks in his gym bag.
▪ shoes and socks
We took off our shoes and socks and waded in the stream.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + sock
▪ ankle/knee socks
The girls wore navy dresses and white ankle socks.
▪ thick socks
Wear thick socks and boots.
▪ woollen/cotton/nylon socks
Cotton socks are better for your feet.
▪ odd socks (=socks that are not a pair)
He was wearing odd socks – one blue one and one black one.
■ verbs
▪ wear socks
He always wore red socks.
▪ put your socks on
She sat on the bed beside him, putting on her socks.
▪ take your socks off
My feet got so hot and sweaty I took my trainers and socks off.
II. sock 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Sense 1-2,4: Date: 1600-1700 ; Origin: Probably from a Scandinavian language. ]
[ Sense 3: Date: 1900-2000 ; Origin: sock 'windsock' . sock away 1900-2000 From ⇨ ↑ sock 1 ]
1 . informal to hit someone very hard, especially with your hand closed SYN thump :
He socked her in the face.
2 . [usually passive] informal if someone is socked with something bad, they are suddenly affected by it
sock somebody with something
I got socked with a big car repair bill.
3 . be socked in American English if an airport, road, or area is socked in, it is very difficult to see far and no one can travel because of bad ↑ fog , snow, or rain
4 . sock it to somebody old-fashioned to tell someone to do something in a direct and forceful way
sock something ↔ away phrasal verb
American English to save money by putting it in a safe place:
Roger socked away more than $1 million a year.