The landlord told me a cock and bull story about why we didn't have heat for three days.
Source: tatoeba (24097)
Cock
/kɒk/
Synonyms for "cock" (271 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (55)
anemographanemometeranemometrographanemoscopeanthillbackslideball cockball valvebaloneybankbantambantybarn-door fowlbarnyard fowlbiddybilgebillybilly goatboarbosh
Strong matches (81)
domestic fowldominantdrain cockdrakedraw cockdriftdropduckducklingdunedunghill fowlejectembankmententireentire horsefall asternfall behindfaucetfellfire
Show 50 more words
fire offflannelfowlfryergame fowlgandergateget behindget up steamgo backwardsgo behindgobblergoosegoslingguffguinea cockguinea fowlguinea hengungun forharthaycockhaymowhayrickhaystackhe-goatheadheadmanheaphenhen turkeyhierarchhillhithokumhonchohydrantjerkjerk backlapseleaderlet flylet offlidloadlordlose groundmainmajormass
Related words (135)
mastermolehillmoundmountainmowneedle valvenonsensenumber oneoutstandingpartletpeacockpegpeltpepperpetcockpick offpilepinpistolplug
Show 94 more words
pontificatepotpotshootpotshotpoulardpoultpoultrypredominantpreeminentprimeprincipalpull backpulletpyramidramrecederecidivateregressrelapseretrocederetroflexretrograderetrogressreturnrevertrickriddleroasterroosterrotrucksea cocksetsetting henshockshootshoot atshoot downslip backsnipesnowdriftspigotspikespilespillspring chickenstackstagstallionstarsteam upsteerstellarstewing chickenstopstopcockstopgapstopperstopplestotstrikestudstudhorseswaggerswankswelltake a potshottaptomtom turkeytomcattop cowtop horsetorpedotupturkeyturkey gobblerturkey-cockvaluevalvevalvulavalvulevanewarm upweather vaneweathercockwetherwindwind conewind indicatorwind sockwind upwind vanewind-speed indicator
Noun(15 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: rooster, anemograph, anemometer, anemometrograph, anemoscope.
- Sentence evidence is available for cock, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, wordnet, opengloss, moby, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "cock".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "cock"
Keep "cock" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "cock" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "cock", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "cock" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
27 entriesShowing 16 of 27 words.
More specific
10 entriesCollocations
12 entriesInflections
3 entriesDerivations
3 entriesTranslations
69 translations across 49 languages.
Afrikaans
1 entries- mannetjie noun (any male bird)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- xoruz noun (any male bird)
Basque
1 entries- ar noun (any male bird)
Bulgarian
1 entries- мъ́жка пти́ца noun (any male bird)
Catalan
2 entries- colom noun (male pigeon)
- mascle noun (any male bird)
Chechen
1 entries- боргӏал noun (any male bird)
Czech
1 entries- kohout noun (any male bird)
Danish
4 entries- duerik noun (male pigeon)
- fasankok noun (any male bird)
- han noun (any male bird)
- kok noun (any male bird)
Dutch
2 entries- doffer noun (male pigeon)
- mannetje noun (any male bird)
Erzya
1 entries- атякш noun (any male bird)
Esperanto
4 entries- kolombiĉo noun (male pigeon)
- maskla birdo noun (any male bird)
- virkolombo noun (male pigeon)
- virseksa birdo noun (any male bird)
Estonian
1 entries- isaslind noun (any male bird)
Faroese
1 entries- steggi noun (any male bird)
Finnish
1 entries- koiras noun (any male bird)
French
1 entries- mâle noun (any male bird)
German
4 entries- Männchen noun (any male bird)
- Taubenmännchen noun (male pigeon)
- Tauber noun (male pigeon)
- Tauberich noun (male pigeon)
Greek
1 entries- αρσενικός φασιανός noun (any male bird)
Hungarian
1 entries- kakas noun (any male bird)
Icelandic
1 entries- karlfugl noun (any male bird)
Ido
3 entries- hano noun (any male bird)
- hanulo noun (any male bird)
- kolombulo noun (male pigeon)
Indonesian
2 entries- burung jantan noun (any male bird)
- jago noun (any male bird)
Ingush
1 entries- боргӏал noun (any male bird)
Irish
1 entries- coileach noun (any male bird)
Italian
2 entries- maschio noun (any male bird)
- uccello noun (any male bird)
Japanese
1 entries- 雄の鳥 noun (any male bird)
Latin
1 entries- gallus noun (any male bird)
Latvian
1 entries- gailis noun (any male bird)
Low German
1 entries- Düffer noun (male pigeon)
Malayalam
1 entries- പൂവൻ noun (any male bird)
Maltese
1 entries- għasfur noun (any male bird)
Māori
2 entries- pīkaokao noun (any male bird)
- tīkaokao noun (any male bird)
Northern Kurdish
1 entries- dîk noun (any male bird)
Ojibwe
1 entries- naabese noun (any male bird)
Old Armenian
1 entries- վարուժան noun (any male bird)
Oromo
1 entries- kormaa noun (any male bird)
Ottoman Turkish
1 entries- خروس noun (any male bird)
Polish
1 entries- kogut noun (any male bird)
Portuguese
2 entries- ave-macho noun (any male bird)
- pombo noun (male pigeon)
Romanian
1 entries- bărbătuș noun (any male bird)
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- coileach noun (any male bird)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- mužjak noun (any male bird)
- мужјак noun (any male bird)
Spanish
1 entries- ave macho noun (any male bird)
Swedish
1 entries- tupp noun (any male bird)
Turkish
1 entries- horoz noun (any male bird)
Turkmen
1 entries- horaz noun (any male bird)
Udi
1 entries- дадал noun (any male bird)
Udmurt
1 entries- атас noun (any male bird)
Volapük
1 entries- hipijun noun (male pigeon)
Zazaki
1 entries- dik (diq) noun (any male bird)
Sample sentences
53 total sentences available.
If you go drinking with Tom, be prepared to listen to some pretty outlandish cock and bull stories.
Source: tatoeba (37375)
It is a sad house where the hen crows louder than the cock.
Source: tatoeba (64770)
He was the cock of the walk.
Source: tatoeba (71988)
Showing 4 of 53 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "cock"?
Closest matches include rooster, anemograph, anemometer, anemometrograph, anemoscope.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "cock"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.