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jack

jack

13 5.6
A socket where you plug a cable to connect a device
  • noun
  • /dʒæk/
translation icon : toma
  • Fortunately, most computers have a headphone jack or line-out jack, and most music classrooms have some type of sound amplification system.
  • headphone jack
  • phone jack
  • output jack

But it's always been missing one thing, a mic Jack.

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Examples

  • Optional PC software is available for access via the front jack or by a communications port.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Oh, it's got a headphone jack.

  • Hey, uh, have any of you guys seen the phone jack?

  • Should I just plug this in the phone jack?

  • Let's connect it to the downstairs jack and see what happens.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • But in positive news, there is still a headphone Jack up top.

  • There's a headset jack on this thing.

  • There's an Ethernet Jack along with HDMI, USBC, and the power cable.

  • You can connect your headphones to the jack on the top of your smartphone.

  • He plugged the device into the audio jack to listen to his music.

Synonyms

port
vsjack
  • Specialized
76 5.0

A place on a computer where you plug in devices for power or data

is the more general electric connection used across many devices
socket
vsjack
24 2.8

A place in a wall where you plug devices to get power

is the general electrical connection point used for such plugs
wall socket
vsjack
  • UK
3 2.9

A place in a wall where you plug in an electrical device to get power

is the non location specific term for a plug connection
receptacle
vsjack
  • Specialized
2 7.1

A socket where you plug in power cords

is the broader term for connection points on electrical equipment
phone jack
vsjack
1 3.4

A socket on a wall where you plug a telephone to connect it

is the wider term for connecting electrical or electronic equipment
wall plug
vsjack
  • UK
1 2.4

An electrical socket in a wall where you connect a device to get power

is the broader category not limited to wall installed connections
electric receptacle
vsjack
  • Specialized
3.7

A socket in a wall that you plug devices into to get power

is the everyday label for the same plug connection function
3.4

A small wall socket where you plug a phone to connect to the phone line

is the general electrical connection used for many device types
2.7

A device in a wall or lamp that a light bulb goes into to get power

is the general connection term not limited to lamps or bulbs

Idioms

every man Jack
  • Informal
1 9.0

Every person, without exception

1 4.3

A person who can do many different jobs but is not an expert

Compounds

A carved hollow pumpkin with a light inside used as a Halloween decoration

4 2.8

The national flag of the United Kingdom showing the crosses of England, Scotland, and Ireland

Jack Frost
  • Literature
3 6.3

An imaginary figure who brings cold and makes frost on windows

3 4.6

A person who can do many different jobs fairly well but is not an expert

A person who killed several women in London in the late 1800s and was never identified

2 4.3

A toy figure with moving arms and legs that moves up and down when you pull its strings

1 3.4

A socket on a wall where you plug a telephone to connect it

A toy box with a clown or figure that pops out when opened

1 6.7

A medium pine tree with two yellow-green needles on each branch and rough scaly bark

cheap-jack
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who sells poor-quality goods in a loud, showy way

jack plane
  • Specialized
1 7.6

A hand tool with a long flat bottom for smoothing and shaping wood before finishing

A woodland plant with a hooded green or purple flower and red berries

9.9

A small salmon that lives along the northern Pacific coasts and in the Great Lakes

6.8

A tool that lifts a car by its bumper to change a tire

8.3

A surprising thing that seems to come by luck, not skill, like a small toy in a snack box

crevalle jack
  • Specialized
9.9

A large silver fish that lives near the coast in warm seas and fights hard when caught

man jack
  • Archaic
9.9

Every single person in a group with none left out

high-low-jack
  • Jargon
9.9

Card game where players score points by taking the highest card, the lowest card, the jack, or most cards

jack bean
  • Specialized
8.4

A bushy tropical plant grown for animal feed and to improve soil

jack crevalle
  • Specialized
8.5

A large strong fish people catch for sport in the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico

jack ladder
  • Specialized
9.4

A rope or chain with steps used to climb between a ship and small boats

5.6

A small fish from the Pacific coast that people eat

8.1

A North American oak tree with broad leaves that have deep notches and dark bark

9.5

Small young salmon, often male Pacific salmon that return early to rivers

A wild plant with leaves that smell like garlic and can be eaten

A large pocket knife with a blade that folds and locks

jack-o-lantern
  • Specialized
9.9

A large poisonous mushroom with an orange cap that glows at night

A large poisonous mushroom with orange caps that grows in tight groups and gills that glow in the dark

A poisonous mushroom with bright orange caps that grows in woods and fields

jack-o'-lantern
  • Archaic
8.5

A pale light seen at night over wet ground in old stories

Jack-tar
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who works on a ship, often in the British navy

screw jack
  • Specialized
5.6

A tool that lifts heavy things by turning a screw, often used to raise a car

A small wall socket where you plug a phone to connect to the phone line

A simple card game for two players where one player tries to win all the other player's cards

9.9

A bold jay from northern North America with a black cap that steals food

yellow jack
  • Archaic
9.9

A yellow flag flown on a ship to show disease on board

9.8

A yellowish fish found in the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico

yellow jack
  • Archaic
8.8

A serious disease spread by mosquitoes that causes fever and yellow skin

Surface Forms

jack singular
jacks plural

Etymology

Jack for an electrical socket comes from the old use of jack for small tools and fittings, so a jack is the small hole or connector that a plug fits into to link devices.