pork

noun

ˈpȯrk 

1

: the fresh or salted flesh of swine when dressed for food

2

: government funds, jobs, or favors distributed by politicians to gain political advantage

Examples of pork in a Sentence

We need to cut the pork out of the federal budget.

Recent Examples on the Web

Two Syracuse University students have been charged with burglary as a hate crime after one of them was alleged to have thrown a bag of pork into a Jewish fraternity house as people gathered to observe Rosh Hashanah, police said Wednesday. —Phil Helsel, NBC news, 25 Sep. 2025

Proteins include two types of chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, imitation crab and lamb, while vegetable toppings range from cucumbers to jalapeños to baby corn. —Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2025

This year, though, City Barbeque is preparing for a shift in consumer preference toward other proteins like chicken or pork. —Emma Wozniak, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025

The concept eventually became a pop-up in Wynwood and later opened at at Killian Greens Golf Club in Kendall at the end of 2022, drawing huge crowds willing to wait in long lines for brisket, ribs, pulled pork and more. —Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French porc pig, from Latin porcus — more at farrow

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pork

• pork barrel
• pork belly
• pork rind
• salt pork

Rhymes for pork

• bork
• dork
• fork
• stork
• torque
• pitchfork

Video

Words of the Year: 1066

English was never the same after the Norman Conquest

Kids Definition

pork

noun

ˈpō(ə)rk 

ˈpȯ(ə)rk

1

: the flesh of a pig used for food

2

: government funds, jobs, or favors distributed by politicians to gain political advantage

Etymology

Middle English pork "meat from a pig," from early French porc "pig," from Latin porcus "pig" — related to porcupine, porpoise see Word History at porpoise