pock

1 of 2

noun

ˈpäk 

: a pustule in an eruptive disease (such as smallpox)

also : a spot suggesting such a pustule

pock

2 of 2

verb

pocked; pocking; pocks

transitive verb

: to mark with or as if with pocks : pit

Synonyms

Noun

• boil
• fester
• hickey
• papule
• pimple
• pustule
• whelk
• zit [slang]

Examples of pock in a Sentence

Noun

noticed strange pocks on his torso

Verb

one of the many craters that pock the moon's surface

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

They were riddled with lesions, pock marks and holes. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 9 Feb. 2024

Barks, not the pock of tennis balls, were heard across the sunny, 40-acre (16-hectare) grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. —Jennifer Peltz, ajc, 6 May 2023

Verb

Along with supporters at 180 Church and downtown for Trump's Turning Point speech, a boat parade was also organized for Saturday — supporters pocked Lake St. Clair with red, white and blue through the afternoon. —Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press, 15 June 2024

In the painting, an image of Basquiat’s face is silkscreened in black ink against a metallic orange surface that is pocked with silver blots. —Angelica Villa For Artnews, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English pokke, from Old English pocc; akin to Middle Low German & Middle Dutch pocke pock

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1841, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

pock

noun

ˈpäk

: a small swelling on the skin like a pimple (as in chicken pox or smallpox)

also : the scar it leaves

Medical Definition

pock

noun

ˈpäk 

: a pustule in an eruptive disease (as smallpox)