suck

American  

[suhk] / sʌk /

verb (used with object)

1. to draw into the mouth by producing a partial vacuum by action of the lips and tongue.

   to suck lemonade through a straw.

2. to draw (water, moisture, air, etc.) by or as if by suction.

   Plants suck moisture from the earth. The pump sucked water from the basement.

3. to apply the lips or mouth to and draw upon by producing a partial vacuum, especially for extracting fluid contents.

   to suck an orange.

4. to put into the mouth and draw upon.

   to suck one's thumb.

5. to take into the mouth and dissolve by the action of the tongue, saliva, etc..

   to suck a piece of candy.

6. to render or bring to a specified condition by or as if by sucking.

7. Slang: Vulgar.  to perform fellatio on (sometimes followed byoff ).

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verb (used without object)

1. to draw something in by producing a partial vacuum in the mouth, especially to draw milk from the breast.

2. to draw or be drawn by or as if by suction.

3. (of a pump) to draw air instead of water, as when the water is low or a valve is defective.

4. Slang.  to be repellent or unpleasant.

   Poverty sucks.

5. Slang.  to be inferior, as in quality or execution; be poor.

   Everyone says the show sucks. She sucks at tennis.

6. Slang.  to behave in a fawning manner (usually followed byaround ).

noun

1. an act or instance of sucking.

2. a sucking force.

3. the sound produced by sucking.

4. that which is sucked; nourishment drawn from the breast.

5. a small drink; sip.

6. a whirlpool.

verb phrase

1. suck in  to deceive; cheat; defraud.

   The confidence man sucked us all in.

2. suck up  to be obsequious; toady.

   The workers are all sucking up to him because he's the one who decides who'll get the bonuses.

idioms

1. suck face,  to engage in soul-kissing.

suck British  

/ sʌk /

verb

1. to draw (a liquid or other substance) into the mouth by creating a partial vacuum in the mouth

2. to draw in (fluid, etc) by or as if by a similar action

   plants suck moisture from the soil

3. to drink milk from (a mother's breast); suckle

4. (tr) to extract fluid content from (a solid food)

   to suck a lemon

5. (tr) to take into the mouth and moisten, dissolve, or roll around with the tongue

   to suck one's thumb

6. (tr; often foll by down, in, etc) to draw by using irresistible force

   the whirlpool sucked him down

7. (intr) (of a pump) to draw in air because of a low supply level or leaking valves, pipes, etc

8. (tr) to assimilate or acquire (knowledge, comfort, etc)

9. slang  (intr) to be contemptible or disgusting

10. informal  doing very well; successful

11. informal  to try something to find out what it is, what it is like, or how it works

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noun

1. the act or an instance of sucking

2. something that is sucked, esp milk from the mother's breast

3. to give (a baby or young animal) milk from the breast or udder

4. an attracting or sucking force

   the suck of the whirlpool was very strong

5. a sound caused by sucking

Other Word Forms

• outsuck verb (used with object)
• suckless adjective
• unsucked adjective

Etymology

Origin of suck

First recorded before 900; (verb) Middle English souken, Old English sūcan, cognate with Latin sūgere; (noun) Middle English souke “act of suckling,” derivative of the noun; akin to soak

Example Sentences

“You know, your furniture sucks. It’s pretentious and looks like a middle school kid could’ve carved it.”

From Salon

It sucks, it feels that it's not going to end.

From BBC

When people ask her how she is—even those she doesn’t know well, like other soccer parents—Weston explains that her father is dying and that “it sucks, really, really bad.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The boys would often cut the sugarcane, peeling it to suck out the sweetness.

From The Wall Street Journal

But during a test in August, a mechanical issue caused a nail to be sucked into the aircraft’s intake, damaging the engine, according to people familiar with the matter.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• absorb
• drink
• inhale