Cork

UK: /ˈkɔːrk/ US: /kɔrk/ ,(kôrk)

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Cork / kɔːk/ noun

1. a county of SW Republic of Ireland, in Munster province: crossed by ridges of low mountains; scenic coastline. County town: Cork. Pop: 447 829 (2002). Area: 7459 sq km (2880 sq miles)
2. a city and port in S Republic of Ireland, county town of Co Cork, at the mouth of the River Lee: seat of the University College of Cork (1849). Pop: 186 239 (2002)

Gaelic name: Corcaigh

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

cork /kɔrk/   n. 

1. [uncountable]
   • Botany a layer of dead tissue below the bark in woody plants.
   • Plant Biology the thick, lightweight layer of wood of a Mediterranean oak used for making floats, stoppers for bottles, etc.
2. [countable] a piece of cork, rubber, or the like used as a stopper.

v. 

3. to close or stop up (something with an opening, such as a bottle) with or as if with a cork:
   [~ (+ up) + object] She corked (up) the bottle.
4. to control (one's emotions) tightly:
   [~ + up + object] He's corked up all his feelings of rage.

Idioms

5. Idioms, Informal Terms blow or pop one's cork, Informal. to lose one's temper:
   blew his cork when he saw the expense accounts.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

cork  (kôrk), n. 

1. Plant Biology the outer bark of an oak, Quercus suber, of Mediterranean countries, used for making stoppers for bottles, floats, etc.
2. Plant Biology Also called cork oak. the tree itself.
3. something made of cork.
4. a piece of cork, rubber, or the like used as a stopper, as for a bottle.
5. Sport [Angling.] a small float to buoy up a fishing line or to indicate that a fish is biting.
6. Botany Also called phellem, suber. an outer tissue of bark produced by and exterior to the phellogen.
7. blow or pop one's cork, [Informal.] to lose one's temper;
   release one's emotional or physical tension.

v.t. 

8. to provide or fit with cork or a cork.
9. to stop with or as if with a cork (often fol. by up).
10. to blacken with burnt cork.

• Latin quercus oak
• Arabic qurq
• Middle English cork(e) 1275–1325

Cork  (kôrk), n. 

1. Place Names a county in Munster province, in S Republic of Ireland. 266,019;
   2881 sq. mi. (7460 sq. km).
2. Place Names a seaport in and the county seat of Cork, in the S part. 136,344.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

cork / kɔːk/ noun

1. the thick light porous outer bark of the cork oak, used widely as an insulator and for stoppers for bottles, casks, etc
2. a piece of cork or other material used as a stopper
3. an angling float
4. Also called: phellem a protective layer of dead impermeable cells on the outside of the stems and roots of woody plants, produced by the outer layer of the cork cambium

adjective

1. made of cork
   Related adjective(s): suberose

verb (transitive)

1. to stop up (a bottle, cask, etc) with or as if with a cork; fit with a cork
2. (often followed by up) to restrain
3. to black (the face, hands, etc) with burnt cork

Etymology: 14th Century: probably from Arabic qurq, from Latin cortex bark, especially of the cork oak

ˈcorkˌlike adjective