Dock (maritime)

A dock is like a big parking lot for boats. It's a place where boats can stay still in water so they don't have to keep moving around. When a boat wants to "park" at a dock, it pulls up next to it and has to be tied with rope or cable so it doesn't float away.

Docks are usually built next to the shore of a large body of water, like an ocean or a lake. They can be made out of a variety of materials, such as wood, metal or concrete. They are used for many different purposes, like loading and unloading cargo, fueling ships, and allowing people to board or disembark from boats.

People who work on docks are called dockworkers or longshoremen. Their job is to help load and unload cargo from ships and move it around the dock. They use big machines called cranes and forklifts to move things from the ships to the dock and vice versa.

Overall, a dock is a place where boats can "park" safely in water, and where people can work to help move cargo and passengers from the boats to the shore.