euchre

[yoo-ker]

noun

Cards. a game played by two, three, or four persons, usually with the 32, but sometimes with the 28 or 24, highest cards in the pack.
an instance of euchring or being euchred.

verb (used with object), eu·chred, eu·chring.

to get the better of (an opponent) in a hand at euchre by the opponent's failure to win three tricks after having made the trump.
Slang. to cheat; swindle.

Origin of euchre

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45; origin uncertain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for euchre

Historical Examples of euchre

Mr. Zachary Smith resisted the blandishments of “cut-throat” euchre.
The Hound From The North
Ridgwell Cullum
“Euchre,”—when the party making the trump fails to take three tricks.
The Laws of Euchre
H. C. Leeds
The following rules belong to the established Etiquette of Euchre.
The Laws of Euchre
H. C. Leeds
A military Euchre Party would be very appropriate for this occasion.
Games For All Occasions
Mary E. Blain
There was a gambler over in Lazette thought to euchre Dakota.
The Trail to Yesterday
Charles Alden Seltzer

British Dictionary definitions for euchre

euchre

noun

a US and Canadian card game similar to écarté for two to four players, using a poker pack with joker
an instance of euchring another player, preventing him from making his contracted tricks

verb (tr)

to prevent (a player) from making his contracted tricks
(usually foll by out) US, Canadian, Australian and NZ informal to outwit or cheat
Australian and NZ informal to ruin or exhaust

Word Origin for euchre

C19: of unknown origin

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

Word Origin and History for euchre

card game, 1846, American English, of unknown origin.