shuck

[ shuhk ]

/ ʃʌk /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: shuck / shucks / shucker on Thesaurus.com

noun

a husk or pod, as the outer covering of corn, hickory nuts, chestnuts, etc.

Usually shucks .Informal. something useless or worthless: They don't care shucks about the project.

the shell of an oyster or clam.

verb (used with object)

to remove the shucks from: to shuck corn.

to remove or discard as or like shucks; peel off: to shuck one's clothes.

Slang. to get rid of (often followed by off): a bad habit I couldn't shuck off for years.

interjection

shucks, Informal. (used as a mild exclamation of disgust or regret.)

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of shuck

First recorded in 1665–75; origin uncertain

OTHER WORDS FROM shuck

shucker, noun

Words nearby shuck

shtup, shu, Shuar, Shubert, Shubra al Khaymah, shuck, shucking, shucking and jiving, shucks, shudder, shuddering

Other definitions for shuck (2 of 2)

shuck²

[ shuhk ]

/ ʃʌk /

verb (used with object) Slang.

to deceive or lie to.

Origin of shuck

1955–60; origin uncertain; perhaps from exclamation shucks! (see shuck¹) taken as a feigned sign of rural ignorance or a sham apology

How to use shuck in a sentence

He was successful without “bowing or scraping” or “shucking and jiving,” as it was called back then.
There’s So Much More To Say About Bill Cosby|W. Kamau Bell|January 20, 2022|Time
That changed last week when Kennedy took his aw-shucks-country-boy-in-a-rumpled-suit shtick too far.
John Kennedy Went From a Democrat to the GOP's Discount Joe McCarthy|Margaret Carlson|November 23, 2021|The Daily Beast
On these plains, Shuck says, you can watch your dog run away for a week.
Capping methane-spewing oil wells, one hole at a time|Nick Ehli|July 1, 2021|Washington Post
Why is it so hard to shuck this notion that governments should cut spending and/or raise taxes in times of economic slack?
Austerity’s Scottish Ghosts Haunt the Modern Economic Mind|Mark Blyth|May 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Shuck went on to become a drill sergeant and Gabe was assigned to a new handler.
Back Home, Service Dogs Sleep in Beds—and Sniff the Sofa for Mines|Sandra McElwaine|September 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Ultimately, Gabe was allowed to retire and was adopted by Shuck.
Back Home, Service Dogs Sleep in Beds—and Sniff the Sofa for Mines|Sandra McElwaine|September 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
My heart jump, my knees shuck, en my han' trimble; but I know I got ter git away fum dar.
Free Joe and Other Georgian Sketches|Joel Chandler Harris
He just stayed, and shuck hands with everybody, pleasant as a basket of chips; and he went home with David Gillespie.
The Leatherwood God|William Dean Howells
He was dredful glad to see me, an shuck my hand as ef he thought there warn't no feelin in it.
Letters of Major Jack Downing, of the Downingville Militia|Seba Smith
For the shuck, as I see it, is exclusiveness, which is not valuable except to persons justly doubtful of their own merits.
Atlantic Classics|Various
Her face was so thin her eyes stood out like a bird's, and her cheek was the color of an old shuck of corn.
The Shadow|Mary White Ovington

British Dictionary definitions for shuck

shuck

/ (ʃʌk) /

noun

the outer covering of something, such as the husk of a grain of maize, a pea pod, or an oyster shell

verb (tr)

to remove the shucks from

informal, mainly US and Canadian to throw off or remove (clothes, etc)

Derived forms of shuck

shucker, noun

Word Origin for shuck

C17: American dialect, 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

shuck

Origin of shuck

OTHER WORDS FROM shuck

Words nearby shuck

Other definitions for shuck (2 of 2)

Origin of shuck

Words related to shuck

How to use shuck in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shuck

Derived forms of shuck

Word Origin for shuck