1. in hock in debt:
• The newspaper is now in hock to a group of business tycoons.
• The Egyptian economy was effectively in hock.
2. go into hock to go into debt:
• The company went $1.5 billion into hock.
3. in hock if you put something in hock, you sell it temporarily because you need the money; = PAWN:
• Most of their possessions are already in hock.
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Ⅰ.
hock UK US /hɒk/ noun [U] INFORMAL
Ⅱ.
hock UK US /hɒk/ verb [T]
► to pawn a possession (= leave it temporarily with someone in exchange for an amount of money that must be paid back after a particular period of time to prevent it from being sold): »
People in a financial difficulty often possess something of value to hock.
Financial and business terms. 2012.