Dockie means: A dockworker.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
dockie
(chiefly, AU, NZ, colloquial) A dockworker.
Etymology timeline
Born ~1960 · no dated citations yetBoomer / counterculture eraSee decade cohort →
Definitions
Australia
#1·Apr 27, 2026AUS
(chiefly, AU, NZ, colloquial) A dockworker.
Longley once told me that in the late 1960s Murphy parked his car down at the docks while he was talking to Dougie Sproule and Putty Nose. Some young dockies who didn't know better broke into his car and stole his nice new golf clubs.
For parents
Dockie means: A dockworker.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
dockie means: A dockworker.. Register: neutral, standard English. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself. A formal-English equivalent (a synonym or descriptive phrase) is usually safer in writing. When in doubt, paraphrase rather than reuse the slang form.
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Used in
Australia
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🇦🇺About Australian & NZ slang slang
Aussie and Kiwi vocabulary — bogan, daggy, brekkie, sheila, bach, jandals — the whole Antipodean lexicon, including outback dialect, surf and beach culture, and Sydney/Melbourne street slang.
See all Australian & NZ slang slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "dockie" (D)
do cheetah flipsdoc-in-a-boxdociousDockdockendocketdock walloperdock wallopingdockydocky timeDocLdoctor
Browse all slang words starting with D.
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- docky68%
(slang, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk) Lunch.
- dock walloping66%
(slang) The activity of a dock walloper, loitering around a dock in search of casual employment.
- dock walloper66%
(slang) A person who loiters around a dock in search of casual employment.
- wharfie65%
(Australia, New Zealand, informal, colloquial) A wharf worker: .
- dingo64%
(AU, informal) A cowardly or otherwise despicable person.