chuck

¹

[chuhk]

verb (used with object)

1. to toss; throw with a quick motion, usually a short distance.

   Chuck that book to me, will you?

   Synonyms: hurl, heave, pitch, fling

2. Informal.,  to resign from; relinquish; give up.

   He's chucked his job.

3. to pat, tap, or stroke lightly, as under the chin.

   She chucks her grown son under his chin as if he were still a baby.

4. Informal.,  to eject (a person) from a public place (often followed byout ).

   They chucked him from the bar.

   I've been chucked out of better places than this!

5. Slang.,  to vomit; upchuck.

   It's the third time this week the dog's chucked his dinner.

noun

1. a light pat, tap, or stroke, as under the chin.

   Let Grammy give her angel a little chuck.

2. a toss or pitch; a short throw.

   Give it a chuck over here.

3. a sudden jerk or change in direction.

   She gave the toboggan a chuck and we all tumbled off into the snow.

chuck

²

[chuhk]

noun

1. the cut of beef between the neck and the shoulder blade.

   Braise the chuck and you'll have a tender, inexpensive piece of meat.

2. a block or log used as a chock.

   Have you got a chuck I can use to keep my wagon from rolling?

3. Machinery.

   1. a device for centering and clamping work in a lathe or other machine tool.

      You can't do the fine lathe work on the spindles without a proper chuck.

   2. a device for holding a drill bit.

      This drill has a keyless chuck, which is great for jobs requiring frequent bit changes.

verb (used with object)

1. Machinery.,  to hold or secure with a chuck.

   A poorly chucked drill bit is neither efficient nor safe.

chuck

³

[chuhk]

verb (used with or without object)

1. to cluck.

   The hypnotist made them chuck like chickens!

   A mother hen is chucking her chicks to come to her side.

noun

1. a clucking sound.

   We heard a loud chuck and saw him dashing from the henhouse with our prized layer.

2. Archaic.,  (used as a term of endearment).

   my love, my chuck.

chuck

⁴

[chuhk]

noun

Western U.S. Slang.

1. food or provisions, as on a cattle ranch or trail.

   By the time we stopped for some chuck, I was too dang tired to eat.

chuck

⁵

[chuhk]

noun

Informal.

1. woodchuck.

   Those blasted chucks have wiped out our entire garden.

chuck

⁶

[chuhk]

noun

Canadian Slang.

1. water.

   Just give me some fresh air and clean chuck.

2. any body of water.

   Lordy, that Lake Nipigon is a beautiful chuck.

Chuck

⁷

[chuhk]

noun

1. a male given name, form of Charles.

2. Older Slang: Usually Disparaging and Offensive.

   1. a term used to refer to a white person.

   2. white society, culture, and values.

chuck

¹

/ tʃʌk /

verb

1. informal,  to throw

2. to pat affectionately, esp under the chin

3. informal,  to give up; reject

   he chucked up his job

   she chucked her boyfriend

4. slang,  to vomit

5. informal,  to abuse or make fun of

noun

1. a throw or toss

2. a playful pat under the chin

3. informal,  dismissal

chuck

²

/ tʃʌk /

noun

1. Also called: chuck steak. a cut of beef extending from the neck to the shoulder blade

2. 1. Also called: three jaw chuck. a device that holds a workpiece in a lathe or tool in a drill, having a number of adjustable jaws geared to move in unison to centralize the workpiece or tool

   2. Also called: four jaw chuck.  independent jaw chuck. a similar device having independently adjustable jaws for holding an unsymmetrical workpiece

chuck

³

/ tʃʌk /

verb

1. (intr) a less common word for cluck

noun

1. a clucking sound

2. a term of endearment

chuck

⁴

/ tʃʌk /

noun

1. a large body of water

2. short for saltchuck

Sensitive Note

Chuck in its slang sense was used especially in the 1960s and 1970s by Black people. This use arose by analogy with Mister Charlie, a slang term used in the same sense and also derived from a nickname for Charles.

Word History and Origins

Origin of chuck¹

First recorded in 1575–85; origin uncertain; possibly from French choquer “to knock, clash;” shock ¹ ( def. )

Origin of chuck²

First recorded in 1665–75; variant of chock; chunk ¹

Origin of chuck³

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English chuk, expressive word, apparently imitative

Origin of chuck⁴

First recorded in 1840–50; special use of chuck ²

Origin of chuck⁵

By shortening

Origin of chuck⁶

First recorded in 1855–60; from Chinook Jargon, probably from Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka) čʾaʔak “water,” reinforced by Lower Chinook ł-čuq “water”

Word History and Origins

Origin of chuck¹

C16: of unknown origin

Origin of chuck²

C17: variant of _chock

Origin of chuck³

C14 chukken to cluck, of imitative origin

Origin of chuck⁴

C19: from Chinook Jargon, from Nootka chauk

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. chuck it, stop it; shut up.

   Sorry for snapping, but your children don't know when to chuck it!

Example Sentences

It’s just stuff that I chucked in a box at the end of a tour rather than throw away.

From Los Angeles Times

“I saw moments around me — horrible, violent police arresting men on the streets, the people chucked into the back of police vans,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times

Minced short rib, chuck, brisket and a generous dose of added fat, all in carefully measured ratios.

From Salon

"I see it every day, people chucking them all over the pavement outside my restaurant in Kingsway," he says.

From BBC

It’s easy to chuck rocks at a cop car.

From Los Angeles Times