crock

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈkräk 

1

: a thick earthenware pot or jar

2

[from its formation on cooking pots] dialect : soot, smut

3

: coloring matter that rubs off from cloth or dyed leather

4

: bunkum

—usually used with a

the story in the paper is a crock

crock

2 of 4

verb (1)

crocked; crocking; crocks

transitive verb

1

: to put or preserve in a crock

2

dialect : to soil with crock : smudge

intransitive verb

: to transfer color (as when rubbed or washed)

a suede that will not crock

crock

3 of 4

noun (2)

1

: one that is broken-down, disabled, or impaired

so many old … crocks with one foot in the grave

—Angus Wilson

2

slang : a complaining medical patient whose illness is largely imaginary or psychosomatic

crock

4 of 4

verb (2)

crocked; crocking; crocks

transitive verb

: to cause to become disabled

intransitive verb

: break down

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• applesauce [slang]
• balderdash
• baloney
• boloney
• beans
• bilge
• blah
• blah-blah
• blarney
• blather
• blatherskite
• blither
• bosh
• bull [slang]
• bunk
• bunkum
• buncombe
• claptrap
• codswallop [British]
• crapola [slang]
• drivel
• drool
• fiddle
• fiddle-faddle
• fiddlesticks
• flannel [British]
• flapdoodle
• folderol
• falderal
• folly
• foolishness
• fudge
• garbage
• guff
• hogwash
• hokeypokey
• hokum
• hoodoo
• hooey
• horsefeathers [slang]
• humbug
• humbuggery
• jazz
• malarkey
• malarky
• moonshine
• muck
• nerts [slang]
• nonsense
• nuts
• piffle
• poppycock
• punk
• rot
• rubbish
• senselessness
• silliness
• slush
• stupidity
• taradiddle
• tarradiddle
• tommyrot
• tosh
• trash
• trumpery
• twaddle

Examples of crock in a Sentence

Noun (1)

that whole thing about how surprised she was to win the award was a crock

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Keep on low heat in a crock pot or on the stove top with a ladle to keep warm. —Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 19 Dec. 2024

Other dishes like casseroles and crock pot recipes are sure to please a crowd. —Food Drink Life, The Mercury News, 2 Dec. 2024

Verb

Store indigo garments together or wrap them in tissue to avoid crocking. —Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English crocc; akin to Old English crūce pot, pitcher, Middle High German krūche

Noun (2)

Middle English crok; akin to Low German krakke broken-down horse

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1594, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1528, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1839, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

crock

1 of 2 noun

ˈkräk 

: a pot or jar made of baked clay

crock

2 of 2 noun

: one that is broken-down or useless

Medical Definition

crock

noun

ˈkräk 

slang

: a complaining medical patient whose illness is largely imaginary or psychosomatic