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Synonyms

ruck

1 American  
[ruhk] / rʌk /

noun

  1. a large number or quantity; mass.

  2. the great mass of undistinguished or inferior persons or things.

ruck 2 American  
[ruhk] / rʌk /

noun

  1. a fold or wrinkle; crease.

verb (used with or without object)

  1. to make or become creased or wrinkled.

ruck 1 British  
/ rʌk /

noun

  1. a large number or quantity; mass, esp of ordinary or undistinguished people or things

  2. (in a race) a group of competitors who are well behind the leaders at the finish

  3. rugby a loose scrum that forms around the ball when it is on the ground

  4. Australian rules football the three players, two ruckmen and a rover, that do not have fixed positions but follow the ball closely

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (intr) rugby to try to win the ball by advancing over it when it is on the ground, driving opponents backward in the process

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
ruck 2 British  
/ rʌk /

noun

  1. a wrinkle, crease, or fold

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (usually foll by up) to become or make wrinkled, creased, or puckered

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
ruck 3 British  
/ rʌk /

noun

  1. slang:prison a fight

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
ruck 4 British  
/ rʌk /

noun

  1. slang military a rucksack

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of ruck1

1175–1225; Middle English ruke, perhaps < Scandinavian; compare Norwegian ruka in same senses; akin to rick 1

Origin of ruck2

First recorded in 1780–90, ruck is from the Old Norse word hrukka a wrinkle

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.

Legal firm Carter Ruck says it contacted the BBC regarding "numerous serious complaints" about his alleged behaviour while filming Strictly.

From BBC • Sep. 30, 2024

You can see it with Nick Braun or Kieran, how they almost are written in their own cadence or Connor with Alan Ruck.

From Salon • Feb. 1, 2024

“I’m OK,” Ruck said in the footage obtained by TMZ.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 2023

Other standouts in the cast include Bill Camp, Alan Ruck and Jurnee Smollett as the opposing counsel.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 8, 2023

They said the land Mattie Lou’s daddy owned was why Ruck Blakeslee was so taken with her.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

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.