Word Confusion: Dock vs Pier vs Wharf

Plural for the noun and third person present verb: docks
Past tense or past participle: docked
Gerund or present participle: docking

Plural: piers

Plural: wharfs, wharves

• An enclosed area of water in a port for the loading, unloading, and repair of ships
• [docks] A group of enclosed areas of water along with the wharves and buildings near them
• Short for dry dock, a structure able to contain a ship and to be drained or lifted so as to leave the ship free of water with all parts of the hull accessible for repairs, painting, etc.
• [loading dock] A platform for loading or unloading trucks or freight trains

An airplane hangar or repair shed

[scene dock] A place in a theater near the stage or beneath the floor of the stage for the storage of scenery

A device in which a laptop computer, smartphone, or other mobile device may be placed for charging, providing access to a power supply and to peripheral devices or auxiliary features

The solid bony or fleshy part of an animal’s tail, excluding the hair ²

• The stump left after a tail has been docked

[Law] The enclosure in a criminal court where a defendant is placed ³

A coarse weed of temperate regions, with inconspicuous greenish or reddish flowers ⁴

• Genus Rumex, family Polygonaceae
• A type of buckwheat

Verb, intransitive:
[Of a ship] Tie up at a dock, especially in order to load or unload passengers or cargo ¹

• [Of a spacecraft] Join with a space station or another spacecraft in space
• Attach a piece of equipment to another

Verb, transitive:
Bring a ship or boat into a dock ¹

[Usually be docked] Deduct something, especially an amount of money ²

• To deduct from the wages of, usually as a punishment
• To deduct from wages

To cut off the end of

• Cut short an animal’s tail
• Cut short

• A structure supported on pillars leading out to sea and used as an entertainment area, typically incorporating arcades and places to eat
• Buttress
• A breakwater or mole
• Jetty

A solid support designed to sustain vertical pressure

• A pillar supporting an arch or a bridge
• A section of a wall between windows, doors, or other adjacent openings
• A pillar or post on which a gate or door is hung
• A support of masonry, steel, or the like for sustaining vertical pressure

A square pillar

A long passageway or corridor that extends from a central area of a building, especially one at an airport that leads to boarding gates

I was working part-time at the docks, unloading the ship’s cargo boxes and supplies.

Blaise walked along the docks, holding his breath as the unfamiliar scent of fish reached his nose, making him gag.

We drove through the long tunnel until we reach the dry docks.

Geoff was waiting for him on the rickety wooden dock that stretched out into the river.

There wasn’t really anything to look at but the loading dock to the train station.

This enhanced hangar includes a nose dock, an aircraft fuel system maintenance shop, administrative space with audio/visual conference capabilities, and other support spaces.

“Ace, the scene docks’re full and they have more scenery for this show. Where do I put ’em?”

People were playing music through their iPads or on phones through an iPod dock.

Jason grabbed the towels and spread them at the dog’s tail and dock.

The nine others in the dock face a combination of charges.

This is rarer and is usually caused by weeds such as nettles and docks, late flowering plants and fungal spores.

Rubbing dock leaves on nettle stings helps to relieve the pain.

Verb, intransitive:
The bars scraped along the concrete landing ramps as the ferry docked.

The next morning the ship docked at the main port of Indian Island.

Wives of seamen could only visit their husbands when his ship docked at its home port.

Verb, transitive:
The Quays welcomed two Galway Hooker sailing boats and a flotilla of sailing vessels were docked at Albert Basin.

They learn how to fish, including how to bait the hook, tie knots and rig tackle, even back up a trailer and dock a boat.

He docked his boat at a sub-divisional town at dawn.

Most spaceships docked at the orbital transit station.

The user wants to dock a portable into a desktop computer.

The agency enforces payments by docking money from the father’s salary.

Their tails were docked.

The shops weren’t as good, there were no amusement arcades, and no pier or beach.

The news of the overspend comes as work continues at the shore end of the pier to build a new entrance bridge across the road.

The grounds include a boat shed and pier with river and lake frontages, as well as lawn areas and a number of mature shrubs.

The harbor entrance itself was guarded by two breakwater piers of heavy sandstone construction for most of their length.

It has supported a proposal for the provision of a low cost terminal D pier at Dublin Airport.

The analysis will also result in a recommendation for the maximum end-bearing pressure for bedrock piers.

The piers are designed as hollow box sections with an average height of 25 m.

Various foundation types have been adopted to support the bridge piers and abutments.

The two piers between the windows are equal in width.

Upon approaching the site, the main iron gates are anchored with brick piers and cast stone finials that frame the building beyond.

In addition there are historic artifacts, submerged wharves and docks, and natural features like caves and reefs to explore.

Meanwhile, helicopters buzz overhead providing air cover, and teams of divers are also checking wharves and jetties at the port of Umm Qasr itself.

Wharfs are often considered to be a series of docks in which boats are stationed.

I’ll meet you down at the wharf at 8.

There’s nothing like eating crab and sourdough bread at Fisherman’s Wharf.

1. Late Middle English and of unknown origin from the Middle Dutch, the Middle Low German docke.
2. Late Middle English and perhaps related to the Frisian dok meaning bunch, ball (of string), etc., and the German Docke meaning doll.
   • The original noun sense was the solid part of an animal’s tail.
   • The verb sense cut short an animal’s tail, was later generalized to mean reduce, deduct.
3. Late 16th century and of unknown origin. It was probably slang originally and related to the Flemish dok meaning chicken coop, rabbit hutch.
4. Old English docce, is of Germanic origin and related to the Dutch dialect dokke.