Canuck

American  

[kuh-nuhk] / kəˈnʌk /

noun

Slang: Sometimes Offensive.

1. a term used to refer to a Canadian, especially a French Canadian.

---

Canuck British  

/ kəˈnʌk /

noun

1. 1. a Canadian

   2. (formerly) esp a French Canadian

---

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; 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

Myers shared that talk of annexation has raised Canadian consciousness and driven a groundswell of Canuck pride.

From Salon • Apr. 27, 2025

My grandmother and her friends, old Canuck widows with sharp tongues and a taste for drink, were the inspiration for Babs and her crew.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2025

Vancouver held its fifth annual First Nations game and celebrated the life of former Canuck Wayne “Gino” Odjick, who died in January at 52.

From Washington Times • Mar. 3, 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

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