Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

in hock

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.84 in modern English

Syllables: in- hock
IPA

15

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

Having been pawned.

prep_phrase

Example Sentences

"Her necklace is in hock in order to cover some family expenses."
"The wind doesn’t stop blowing because an autocrat has a tantrum; harnessing the solar radiation that bathes our world doesn’t leave us in hock to the House of Saud."
"As economist Paul Johnson said: “The sad truth is we are in hock to the bond markets … We are already paying many billions more in debt interest than we would be if markets were charging us the same as they are charging other countries."

Etymology

From Dutch hok (“hutch, hovel, jail, pen, doghouse”).

Origin

Source language: Dutch

Word Breakdown

Root: hok

Derived Forms

hock

Phrases

secured debt

Frequently Paired Words

collateral hypothecation secured debt

Questions

What does in hock mean?: Having been pawned.
Where does in hock come from?: It is traced to Dutch.

How to pronounce in hock

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “in hock”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “in hock”.
Repeat and practice — Say “in hock” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.