crock

UK: /ˈkrɒk/ US: /krɑk/ ,(krok)

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

crock¹ /krɑk/   n. [countable]

1. Ceramics a clay or earthenware pot, jar, or other container.
2. Ceramics a fragment of earthenware.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

crock¹  (krok), n. 

1. Ceramics an earthenware pot, jar, or other container.
2. Ceramics a fragment of earthenware;
   potsherd.

• bef. 1000; Middle English crokke, Old English croc(c), crocca pot; cognate with Old Norse krukka jug

crock²  (krok), n. 

1. a person or thing that is old, decrepit, or broken-down.
2. Slang Terms a person who complains about or insists on being treated for an imagined illness.
3. an old ewe.
4. an old worn-out horse.

v.t. 

5. British Terms to disable or injure.

• 1300–50; Middle English crok old ewe, perh. akin to crack (verb, verbal) and obsolete crack whore; compare Low German krakke broken-down horse

crock³  (krok), n. 

1. British Terms soot;
   smut.
2. Textiles excess surface dye from imperfectly dyed cloth.

v.t. 

3. British Terms to soil with soot.

v.i. 

4. Textiles (of cloth) to give off excess surface dye when rubbed.

• origin, originally uncertain 1650–60

crock⁴  (krok), n. [Slang.]

1. Slang Terms a lie;
   exaggeration;
   nonsense:
   The entire story is just a crock.

• origin, originally unclear, though often taken as a euphemism for a crock of shit

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

crock / krɒk/ noun

1. an earthen pot, jar, etc
2. a piece of broken earthenware

Etymology: Old English crocc pot; related to Old Norse krukka jug, Middle Low German krūke pot

crock / krɒk/ noun

1. a person or thing, such as a car, that is old or decrepit (esp in the phrase old crock)

verb

1. to become or cause to become weak or disabled

Etymology: 15th Century: originally Scottish; related to Norwegian krake unhealthy animal, Dutch kraak decrepit person or animal