pucker
Americanverb (used with or without object)
noun
-
a wrinkle; an irregular fold.
-
a puckered part, as of cloth tightly or crookedly sewn.
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Archaic. a state of agitation or perturbation.
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pucker
1590–1600; apparently a frequentative form connected with poke 2; see -er 6 and for the meaning cf. purse
Explanation
Pucker is a verb for what happens when something smooth or flat gets folded up into little wrinkles, like how you pucker your lips when you go to kiss someone — you, wild flirt, you! When you use a sewing machine, sometimes the cloth puckers in wrinkly clumps that make it hard to sew in a straight line. Most of the time, it’s lips that do the puckering, maybe because you want a kiss, but also sucking on a lemon can make your lips pucker. If someone tells you to “pucker up,” they might want to kiss you, or they might throw a sour pickle at your head. Either way, get ready.
Vocabulary lists containing pucker
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Frindle
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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.
Pucker Up Lemonade, which sells drinks at its stand in Compton, California, and at festivals and convenience stores, used to buy its refillable cups from a local vendor for $1 each.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 15, 2022
Pucker up and test your wits on this week’s trivia quiz.
From Slate • Jun. 24, 2022
"Pucker up Timmy, it’s time to kiss ur last name and ur family’s boxing legacy goodbye. DEC 18th Im changing this wa----- name to Tommy Fumbles and celebrating with Tom Brady," he tweeted.
From Fox News • Oct. 29, 2021
Mr. Sircus, 26, is an investment associate in Chicago at DNS Capital, the investment office for Gigi Pritzker, Michael Pucker and their family.
From New York Times • Sep. 23, 2018
"Miss Pucker, and Mr. Prong, and that set."
From Rachel Ray by Trollope, Anthony
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.
