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• tuck
  tuck

  verb (used with object)

  to put into a small, close, or concealing place.
• Tuck
  Tuck

  noun

  See Friar Tuck

tuck

¹ American  

[tuhk] / tʌk /

verb (used with object)

1. to put into a small, close, or concealing place.

   Tuck the money into your wallet.

2. to thrust in the loose end or edge of (a garment, covering, etc.) so as to hold closely in place (usually followed by in, up, under, etc.).

   Tuck in your blouse.

   Tuck the edge of the sheet under the mattress.

3. to cover snugly in or as if in this manner.

   She tucked the children into bed.

4. to pull up into a fold or folds; draw up into a folded arrangement (usually followed by in, up, etc.).

   to tuck up one's skirts;

   to tuck one's knees under one's chin.

5. Needlework. to sew tucks in.

6. to pass (a strand) above or below another one.

7. Informal. to eat or drink (usually followed by in, away, etc.).

   He tucked away a big meal.

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verb (used without object)

1. to draw together; contract; pucker.

2. Needlework. to make tucks.

3. to fit securely or snugly.

   a bed that tucks into the corner.

4. to secure one's penis between one's legs so that the crotch is flat, often done by gender-diverse people as part of their gender expression.

   When I'm performing, I usually tuck, because it makes me feel more confident.

noun

1. something tucked or folded in.

2. Sewing. a fold, or one of a series of folds, made by doubling cloth upon itself and stitching parallel with the edge of the fold, used for decoration or for shortening or fitting a garment.

3. Diving, Gymnastics. a body position in which the head is lowered and the thighs held against the chest with the knees bent and the arms locked around the shins.

4. Skiing. a crouch in which the ski poles are held close to the chest, extending back under the arms and parallel to the ground, as to maximize speed downhill.

5. Informal. a plastic surgery operation.

   a tummy tuck.

6. Nautical. the part of a vessel where the after ends of the outside planking or plating unite at the sternpost.

7. (in tying knots) the operation of passing one strand above or below another.

8. British Slang. food.

verb phrase

1. tuck into to eat with gusto.

   We tucked into a roast beef dinner.

tuck ² American  

[tuhk] / tʌk /

noun

Informal.

1. tuxedo.

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tuck ³ American  

[tuhk] / tʌk /

noun

Archaic.

1. a rapier, estoc, or other thrusting sword.

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tuck ⁴ American  

[tuhk] / tʌk /

noun

Chiefly Scot.

1. a drumbeat or the sound of one beat on a drum.

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tuck ¹ British  

/ tʌk /

verb

1. (tr) to push or fold into a small confined space or concealed place or between two surfaces

   to tuck a letter into an envelope

2. (tr) to thrust the loose ends or sides of (something) into a confining space, so as to make neat and secure

   to tuck the sheets under the mattress

3. to make a tuck or tucks in (a garment)

4. (usually tr) to draw together, contract, or pucker

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noun

1. a tucked object or part

2. a pleat or fold in a part of a garment, usually stitched down so as to make it a better fit or as decoration

3. the part of a vessel where the after ends of the planking or plating meet at the sternpost

4. 1. an informal or schoolchild's word for food, esp cakes and sweets

   2. ( as modifier )

      a tuck box

5. a position of the body in certain dives in which the legs are bent with the knees drawn up against the chest and tightly clasped

tuck ² British  

/ tʌk /

noun

1. a touch, blow, or stroke

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verb

1. (tr) to touch or strike

2. (intr) to throb or bump

Tuck ³ British  

/ tʌk /

noun

1. See Friar Tuck

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tuck ⁴ British  

/ tʌk /

noun

1. archaic a rapier

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tuck Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing tuck

• nip and tuck

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Other Word Forms

• untucked
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of tuck¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English t(o)uken “to stretch (cloth), torment,” Old English tūcian “to torment”; akin to Middle Low German tucken “to tug,” German zucken “to jerk”; see tow ¹

Origin of tuck²

By shortening and respelling

Origin of tuck³

First recorded in 1500–10; earlier tocke, apparently phonetic variant of obsolete stock “sword,” from Italian stocco, from German Stock “stick”; cognate with stock

Origin of tuck⁴

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English tukken “to beat, sound (said of a drum),” from Middle French (north) toker “to strike, touch”; see touch

Explanation

To tuck is to fold, gather, or insert, like the way you tuck your sheets under your mattress when you make the bed in the morning or the way you tuck your lucky stuffed unicorn into your backpack on the day of a big test. You can tuck your shirt into your waistband, and tuck your jeans into your cowboy boots. You can also tuck a child into bed or tuck your book under your arm to carry it. The verb tuck can also be used informally to mean "eat with gusto," like when you tuck into a giant bowl of spaghetti.

Example Sentences

Mr. Tuck must be praised for enabling us, finally, to put names to mere numbers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

The surge gases turned into sulfuric acid, Mr. Tuck writes, “when entering into contact with the water that is in a human body.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

Tuck them away in a cupboard and feel quietly smug about it.

From Salon • Dec. 23, 2025

“This is a historic day for California’s students, educators, and families,” Marshall Tuck, chief executive of the advocacy group EdVoice, said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 9, 2025

Mae sat down on the edge of the rocker, and Tuck sat, too, but his eyes were narrowed.

From "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbit

Related Words

• insert
• pinch
• wrap