pucker

[puhk-er]

verb (used with or without object)

1. to draw or gather into wrinkles or irregular folds, as material or a part of the face; constrict.

   Worry puckered his brow.

noun

1. a wrinkle; an irregular fold.

2. a puckered part, as of cloth tightly or crookedly sewn.

3. Archaic.,  a state of agitation or perturbation.

pucker

/ ˈpʌkə /

verb

1. to gather or contract (a soft surface such as the skin of the face) into wrinkles or folds, or (of such a surface) to be so gathered or contracted

noun

1. a wrinkle, crease, or irregular fold

Other Word Forms

• puckerer noun
• unpuckered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pucker¹

1590–1600; apparently a frequentative form connected with poke ²; -er ⁶ and for the meaning purse

Word History and Origins

Origin of pucker¹

C16: perhaps related to _poke ², from the creasing into baglike wrinkles

Example Sentences

So, why then do so some folks willingly crave foods that make their mouths pucker and tongues tingle?

From Salon

Donny is certainly demented, but he’s not nearly delusional enough that he didn’t recognize the single most ham-handed posterior puckering since “this Nobel award” was ever talked about.

From Salon

Nobel’s Super Lemon Sour Candy will surely have your mouth watering and puckering.

From Salon

On the subject of peaches, he said that U.S. trade partners were waiting in line to pucker up.

From Salon

These compounds, which look like rings at the molecular level, interact with proteins in your saliva to produce a dry, astringent sensation that makes your mouth pucker.

From Salon

Related Words

• crinkle