tuck
verb (used with object)
to put into a small, close, or concealing place.
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tuck
1 American
[tuhk]
/ tʌk /
verb (used with object)
-
tucks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
tucked,
past participle, past
-
tucking
present participle
-
to put into a small, close, or concealing place.
Tuck the money into your wallet.
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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.
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to cover snugly in or as if in this manner.
She tucked the children into bed.
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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.
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Needlework. to sew tucks in.
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to pass (a strand) above or below another one.
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Informal. to eat or drink (usually followed by in, away, etc.).
He tucked away a big meal.
verb (used without object)
-
tucks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
tucked,
past participle, past
-
tucking
present participle
-
Needlework. to make tucks.
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to fit securely or snugly.
a bed that tucks into the corner.
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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
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something tucked or folded in.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Informal. a plastic surgery operation.
a tummy tuck.
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Nautical. the part of a vessel where the after ends of the outside planking or plating unite at the sternpost.
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(in tying knots) the operation of passing one strand above or below another.
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British Slang. food.
verb phrase
tuck
2
American
[tuhk]
/ tʌk /
noun
Informal.
tuck
3
American
[tuhk]
/ tʌk /
noun
Archaic.
tuck
4
American
[tuhk]
/ tʌk /
noun
Chiefly Scot.
tuck
1
British
/ tʌk /
verb
-
(tr) to push or fold into a small confined space or concealed place or between two surfaces
to tuck a letter into an envelope
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(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
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to make a tuck or tucks in (a garment)
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(usually tr) to draw together, contract, or pucker
noun
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a tucked object or part
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a pleat or fold in a part of a garment, usually stitched down so as to make it a better fit or as decoration
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the part of a vessel where the after ends of the planking or plating meet at the sternpost
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an informal or schoolchild's word for food, esp cakes and sweets
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( as modifier )
a tuck box
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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
verb
-
(tr) to touch or strike
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(intr) to throb or bump
Tuck
3
British
/ tʌk /
noun
tuck
4
British
/ tʌk /
noun
tuck
Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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tucksimple
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tuckssimple
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have tuckedperfect
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has tuckedperfect
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am tuckingprogressive
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are tuckingprogressive
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is tuckingprogressive
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have been tuckingperfect progressive
-
has been tuckingperfect progressive
Past
-
tuckedsimple
-
had tuckedperfect
-
was tuckingprogressive
-
were tuckingprogressive
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had been tuckingperfect progressive
Future
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
As insurance, I tuck my shirt in, pull my socks over my pant legs, and wear ankle-covering gaiters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
Kitaj is the most melancholy of all the likenesses, and the only one that Ashbery did not tuck away but placed against a fireplace in an upstairs sitting room.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Miso, honey and red-pepper flakes deepen the mixture; pasta water turns it glossy enough to tuck itself into the tubes and folds of a sturdy short pasta.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
The family had to sell their caravan, and she helped out by giving dance classes and working in the tuck shop of the youth club where he mother worked.
From BBC ● May 16, 2026
I read his poem over and over, and think about how he used to tuck me and Charlie in and say, “Good night, my precious jewel.”
From "Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero" by Kelly J. Baptist
Kusum Ailawadi, a professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College who has done research on private-label brands, said retailers can glean information about manufacturers’ costs based on how they price products.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
Prof Tuck Seng Wong is the director of the UK-Southeast Asia Vaccine Manufacturing Research Hub but was not involved in the study.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Mack learned the importance of passing down knowledge as a youngster in Oakland under the tutelage of seasoned veterans Charles Woodson and Justin Tuck.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
The weather has always been part of the drama—the 1967 Ice Bowl, the 2002 Tuck Rule game, any number of moments where the conditions became characters in the story.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Behind her, Tuck drew his breath in sharply.
From "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbit
Among patients 66 and older, demand for breast augmentations, tummy tucks, arm lifts, thigh lifts and facelifts all increased by double digits.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 5, 2026
Tempus even tucks in recipe cards, an apron, sea salt and scallop shells to make indulging as easy as can be.
From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2025
On the evenings he tucks his kids into bed, his daughter refuses to let him go.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2025
Dorinnia Carville said about 12,000 operations, which include tummy tucks and tonsillectomies, were carried out in 2023-24 without any assurance they complied with government policy.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2025
Rolls back to his stomach and tucks the picture of G’pop into the Green Book, then shoves both under his pillow.
From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone
The soft-purple 1889 house, tucked along a tree-lined street a few blocks from Harvard Yard, spans 6,321 square feet, with six bedrooms and six bathrooms.
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026
Spanning 5,920 square feet, the six-bedroom, seven-bathroom residence is tucked behind gates and surrounded by mature greenery, offering plenty of privacy in the sought-after California enclave.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
I noted their opinions but tucked them away in my head for a rainy day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Jenner-Fust said it is a reminder that some of the most valuable objects are not tucked away in stately homes but hiding in plain sight, waiting to be rediscovered.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
She tucked it tight under her strong turtle chin and didn’t even notice everyone tickling and pulling, wrestling and shoving.
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
“He’s definitely running a lot harder when he breaks the pocket. He’s confident and when he has to, he’s tucking the ball and running.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
People may still be waiting for a result while tucking into their breakfasts, rather than waking up to find out who has won.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
American and Chinese business leaders dotted the hall, tucking into dishes like lobster in tomato soup, crispy beef ribs, Beijing roast duck and tiramisu.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
The film makes fantastic use of its single shooting location, tucking horror into every last nook and cranny of this potentially haunted house.
From Salon ● Mar. 15, 2026
Although in the end she had packed lightly, according to the children’s instructions, Penelope had insisted on tucking two books into the large pockets of her rugged twill safari skirt.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
