ruck

¹ American  

[ruhk] / rʌk /

noun

1. a large number or quantity; mass.

2. the great mass of undistinguished or inferior persons or things.

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ruck ² American  

[ruhk] / rʌk /

noun

1. a fold or wrinkle; crease.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. to make or become creased or wrinkled.

ruck ¹ British  

/ rʌk /

noun

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

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

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

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

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verb

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

ruck ² British  

/ rʌk /

noun

1. a wrinkle, crease, or fold

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verb

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

ruck ³ British  

/ rʌk /

noun

1. slang:prison a fight

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ruck ⁴ British  

/ rʌk /

noun

1. slang military a rucksack

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Etymology

Origin of ruck¹

1175–1225; Middle English ruke, perhaps < Scandinavian; compare Norwegian ruka in same senses; akin to rick ¹

Origin of ruck²

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

Example Sentences

Dupont's 2025 Six Nations ended at the back of a ruck in the Aviva Stadium.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

White's opportunism at the side of the ruck was what did it, the scrum-half too quick, too sharp, too lethal for the French cover.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

Dupont quickly made amends, spinning off the back of a ruck in midfield, stiff-arming hooker Tolu Latu onto his back and scooting through a huge gap to score.

From Barron's • Dec. 28, 2025

"Tactically, you have to give it up to Canada, the kick game, the ruck game, and they kept the ref out of the game," Tui added.

From BBC • Sep. 19, 2025

A snatch of turfy drumming, then I went flying over a ruck and the ground booted the air out of me and I got a glimpse of a leaping dog's flank.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell