shuck

¹ American  

[shuhk] / ʃʌk /

noun

shucks plural

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

2. Informal. Usually shucks something useless or worthless.

   They don't care shucks about the project.

3. the shell of an oyster or clam.

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verb (used with object)

1. to remove the shucks from.

   to shuck corn.

2. to remove or discard as or like shucks; peel off.

   to shuck one's clothes.

3. Slang. to get rid of (often followed byoff ).

   a bad habit I couldn't shuck off for years.

interjection

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

shuck ² American  

[shuhk] / ʃʌk /

verb (used with object)

Slang.

1. to deceive or lie to.

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shuck British  

/ ʃʌk /

noun

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

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verb

1. to remove the shucks from

2. informal to throw off or remove (clothes, etc)

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• shucker
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• shucks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of shuck¹

First recorded in 1665–75; origin uncertain

Origin of shuck²

1955–60; origin uncertain; perhaps from exclamation shucks! ( see shuck ¹) taken as a feigned sign of rural ignorance or a sham apology

Example Sentences

"Getting a subduction zone started is like trying to push a train uphill -- it takes a huge effort," said Brandon Shuck, a geologist at Louisiana State University and lead author of the study.

From Science Daily • Oct. 25, 2025

Other stamps in the Myths and Legends collection depict Blodeuwedd of Welsh mythology, Irish heroic figure Fionn mac Cumhaill, the spectral hound of East Anglia, Black Shuck, selkies and a grindylow.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2025

Shuck the corn — the silks will come off easily.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 31, 2022

Shuck oysters and place them on a kosher salt-lined plate so the juices don’t spill.

From Fox News • Aug. 5, 2021

“No. Shuck thing just looked dead— like a wax statue. Then boom, it was back to life.”

From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner