schmuck
Americannoun
-
schmucks
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of schmuck
First recorded in 1890–95, schmuck is from the Yiddish word shmok (vulgar) literally, “penis” (of uncertain origin)
Compare meaning
How does schmuck compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A schmuck is a loser, idiot, or jerk. This Yiddish word is a little old-fashioned and not very harsh. If you've ever felt like a dummy or sucker, you've felt like a schmuck. This is one of many Yiddish words for "jerk" or "idiot" that are common in English, including schmo, schlub, schlemiel, and schnook. Old-fashioned and kind of unusual, schmuck is probably one of the least mean ways to call someone a loser.
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:
“They think, ‘I’m the only schmuck that feels this bad,’ and never get the corrective feedback that depression is like the common cold of mental illness.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
Was Kiritsis a narcissistic madman or a schmuck who’d put too much trust in the American ideals of hard work and fair treatment?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2026
"They called me the schmuck from Hanover," he laughs.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2023
"He turned out to be the biggest schmuck I've ever met," she said.
From Salon ● Apr. 14, 2023
He promised me he would be there, that schmuck.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
Up to this point, Judge’s filmography was exceedingly kind, willing to dig deeper and find humanity in an entire universe of schmucks and mediocrities.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
And on the sublime Mariners Apartment Complex, she even addresses the people - critics, boyfriends, record-industry bigwigs - who "mistook my kindness for weakness", the not-exactly-hidden subtext being: "That won't happen again, schmucks."
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2023
But don’t feel sorry for the schmucks Robinson plays, even when they start to cry.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2022
“And we’re the schmucks that are paying for the whole thing.”
From Washington Post ● Jul. 9, 2018
“We’re the schmucks that are paying for the whole thing,” he said.
From New York Times ● Jul. 6, 2018
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.
