Basic+ Word of the Day: cork

cork (noun)

Cork is a thick, light-weight layer of wood of a Mediterranean oak.

• It takes a lot of skill to harvest cork without harming the trees.
• The students placed a cork board on their wall.

A cork is a piece of cork, rubber, etc. used as a stopper for bottles.

• Be sure to save the cork in case we don't finish the bottle of wine.

Common uses

Put a cork in it: stop talking; shut up (US slang). Example: “I don’t want to hear about your problems. Put a cork in it!”

Related words

corkscrew: tool for opening a wine bottle. Example: “Pass the corkscrew so I can open this bottle of wine.”

Did you know?

The city of Cork is considered one of the best places to live in Ireland. Watch this video to learn about Cork from its natives. Do you understand the accent?

One more

Did you ever wonder about where corks come from? Watch this video to learn about cork harvesting.

There are other meanings of cork.