ruck

[ ruhk ]

/ rʌk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ruck ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a large number or quantity; mass.

the great mass of undistinguished or inferior persons or things.

Words related to ruck

gathering, rumple, convolution, pleat, layer, bend, corrugation, cockle, ridge, overlap, crimp, circumvolution, ruffle, plication, ply, wrinkle, lap, furrow, tuck, double

Words nearby ruck

rubáiyát of omar khayyám, the, rubʿ al khali, ruc, ruche, ruching, ruck, ruck-rover, ruckle, ruckman, rucksack, ruckus

Origin of ruck

1175–1225; Middle English ruke, perhaps < Scandinavian; compare Norwegian ruka in same senses; akin to rick¹

Definition for ruck (2 of 2)

ruck²

[ ruhk ]

/ rʌk /

noun

a fold or wrinkle; crease.

verb (used with or without object)

to make or become creased or wrinkled.

Origin of ruck

First recorded in 1780–90, ruck is from the Old Norse word hrukka a wrinkle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ruck

Instead, to my surprise, came three fellows who were strikingly superior to the ruck that had preceded them.
The Mutiny of the Elsinore|Jack London
"Above the ruck of ordinary governesses," she had pronounced.
Dimbie and I--and Amelia|Mabel Barnes-Grundy
Mr. Ruck, with his hands in his pockets, gave me a sociable wink.
Lady Barbarina|Henry James
The ruck of passengers, busy with their babies and their bundles, had not noticed the affair.
Kim|Rudyard Kipling

May do all very well for the ruck; but they'll find it won't arnser for me!
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 93, December 17, 1887|Various

British Dictionary definitions for ruck (1 of 4)

ruck¹

/ (rʌk) /

noun

a large number or quantity; mass, esp of ordinary or undistinguished people or things

(in a race) a group of competitors who are well behind the leaders at the finish

rugby a loose scrum that forms around the ball when it is on the ground

Australian rules football the three players, two ruckmen and a rover, that do not have fixed positions but follow the ball closely

verb

(intr) rugby to try to win the ball by advancing over it when it is on the ground, driving opponents backward in the process

Word Origin for ruck

C13 (meaning ``heap of firewood''): perhaps from Scandinavian; compare Old Norse hraukr rick 1

British Dictionary definitions for ruck (2 of 4)

ruck²

/ (rʌk) /

noun

a wrinkle, crease, or fold

verb

(usually foll by up) to become or make wrinkled, creased, or puckered

Word Origin for ruck

C18: from Scandinavian; related to Old Norse hrukka

British Dictionary definitions for ruck (3 of 4)

ruck³

/ (rʌk) /

noun

prison slang a fight

Word Origin for ruck

C20: short for ruckus

British Dictionary definitions for ruck (4 of 4)

ruck⁴

/ (rʌk) /

noun

military slang a rucksack

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