Canuck
Americannoun
noun
Sensitive Note
The term Canuck is perceived as insulting when used by non-Canadians or when referring specifically to French Canadians. But among Canadians, it is sometimes used as a neutral nickname or term of self-reference.
Etymology
Origin of Canuck
1825–35; perhaps ultimately to be identified with kanaka Hawaiian, South Sea islander (< Hawaiian; see kanaka), if the word once identified both French Canadians and such islanders, who both were employed in the Pacific Northwest fur trade; later reanalyzed as Can(adian) + a suffix
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.
Myers shared that talk of annexation has raised Canadian consciousness and driven a groundswell of Canuck pride.
From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2025
As a 12-year-old from Calgary, Canada, the dancer and budding singer-songwriter won third place on the 2016 season of “So You Think You Can Dance” and performed with fellow Canuck Justin Bieber.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2023
Dr. Hal Siden has worked for more than two decades in what some might consider the least optimistic field imaginable: He is the medical director of Canuck Place, the first children’s hospice in North America.
From New York Times ● Feb. 17, 2023
Vancouver paid tribute to former Canuck Wayne “Gino” Odjick, who died Sunday at 52.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 18, 2023
My knowledge of Canuck French derives from motion pictures usually with Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald, and it consists largely of “By gar.”
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
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.
