suck
Americanverb (used with object)
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sucks,
present (3rd person singular)
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sucked,
past participle, past
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sucking
present participle
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to draw into the mouth by producing a partial vacuum by action of the lips and tongue.
to suck lemonade through a straw.
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to draw (water, moisture, air, etc.) by or as if by suction.
Plants suck moisture from the earth. The pump sucked water from the basement.
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to apply the lips or mouth to and draw upon by producing a partial vacuum, especially for extracting fluid contents.
to suck an orange.
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to put into the mouth and draw upon.
to suck one's thumb.
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to take into the mouth and dissolve by the action of the tongue, saliva, etc..
to suck a piece of candy.
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to render or bring to a specified condition by or as if by sucking.
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Slang: Vulgar. to perform fellatio on (sometimes followed byoff ).
verb (used without object)
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sucks,
present (3rd person singular)
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sucked,
past participle, past
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sucking
present participle
-
to draw something in by producing a partial vacuum in the mouth, especially to draw milk from the breast.
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to draw or be drawn by or as if by suction.
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(of a pump) to draw air instead of water, as when the water is low or a valve is defective.
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Slang. to be repellent or unpleasant.
Poverty sucks.
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Slang. to be inferior, as in quality or execution; be poor.
Everyone says the show sucks. She sucks at tennis.
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Slang. to behave in a fawning manner (usually followed byaround ).
noun
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an act or instance of sucking.
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a sucking force.
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the sound produced by sucking.
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that which is sucked; nourishment drawn from the breast.
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a small drink; sip.
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a whirlpool.
verb phrase
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suck in to deceive; cheat; defraud.
The confidence man sucked us all in.
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suck up to be obsequious; toady.
The workers are all sucking up to him because he's the one who decides who'll get the bonuses.
idioms
verb
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to draw (a liquid or other substance) into the mouth by creating a partial vacuum in the mouth
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to draw in (fluid, etc) by or as if by a similar action
plants suck moisture from the soil
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to drink milk from (a mother's breast); suckle
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(tr) to extract fluid content from (a solid food)
to suck a lemon
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(tr) to take into the mouth and moisten, dissolve, or roll around with the tongue
to suck one's thumb
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(tr; often foll by down, in, etc) to draw by using irresistible force
the whirlpool sucked him down
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(intr) (of a pump) to draw in air because of a low supply level or leaking valves, pipes, etc
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(tr) to assimilate or acquire (knowledge, comfort, etc)
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slang (intr) to be contemptible or disgusting
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informal doing very well; successful
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informal to try something to find out what it is, what it is like, or how it works
noun
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the act or an instance of sucking
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something that is sucked, esp milk from the mother's breast
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to give (a baby or young animal) milk from the breast or udder
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an attracting or sucking force
the suck of the whirlpool was very strong
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a sound caused by sucking
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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sucksimple
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suckssimple
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have suckedperfect
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has suckedperfect
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am suckingprogressive
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are suckingprogressive
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is suckingprogressive
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have been suckingperfect progressive
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has been suckingperfect progressive
Past
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suckedsimple
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had suckedperfect
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was suckingprogressive
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were suckingprogressive
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had been suckingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of suck
First recorded before 900; (verb) Middle English souken, Old English sūcan, cognate with Latin sūgere; (noun) Middle English souke “act of suckling,” derivative of the noun; akin to soak
Explanation
To suck is to draw something by force. Vacuum cleaners suck dirt from the floor and milkshake drinkers suck this liquid, tasty liquid through a straw. Drinking something by pulling it into your mouth is to suck it. You can also suck on something, like a peppermint or a thumb, by holding it in your mouth. Objects can suck too — a fan sucks warm air out the window. You can also suck someone into your plans, meaning you force them to participate. The word suck comes from the Proto-Indo-European sug, from the sound your mouth makes when you suck on something.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Analysts don’t say “great quarter guys” as often these days, probably because it’s become such an obvious way to suck up to management.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
“Micromanagement is a time suck for micromanagers,” West says.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
For years, movie ticket sales have been declining, because of this shift from seeing the consumer not as a customer to please, but a mark to suck dry.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
“I also think you have outliers of the party that sometimes suck all the oxygen out of the room and maybe derail that message.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
After I turn it in, it occurs to me that the rhyme and the rhythm of my poem really, really suck.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
In nearly a decade I have never had a student say: You know what really sucks?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
That his rowdy co-workers think he sucks at it is worse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
When the relationships fizzle, when the job sucks, when things don’t work out the way you plan, you know they’re always there for you.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
The other four unicorns on tap for IPOs this week may be slightly less buzzy but are still noteworthy, especially since they’re looking to capture some momentum before SpaceX potentially sucks up all the oxygen.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
I can’t say stuff like how much the gun thing sucks, Ashton said.
From "Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson
What happens here, mechanically speaking, is that liquidity is sucked out of the financial system and diverted to the real economy, in Howell’s words.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Divers’ primary tool was a vacuum-like system called a dredge, which sucked up sediment from inside the wreck and deposited it into baskets on the sea floor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Ahead of that meeting, the PM said: "For 40 years, power and resources have been sucked into the centre, and too many communities have felt forgotten, without the attention and investment they deserve."
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
The wife of a man who was nearly sucked head-first out of a cabin window in mid-air on a Ryanair plane has described her fright at the incident.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
I saw the next link and sucked in my breath.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
“That’s very common because the engine is sucking constantly from the ocean to cool the engine.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
These costs have been catching employers off guard, especially with the increased use of agentic AI sucking up tokens.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026
This statue yassifies Trump, sucking out his buccal fat, virilizing his features, carefully excising all of the dainty feyness that, whether he likes it or not, is crucial to capturing the unique Trump disposition.
From Slate ● Jun. 2, 2026
It’s also not involved in the ugly tech trial of the year sucking in the biggest names in AI, from Elon Musk and Sam Altman to Mira Murati and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 17, 2026
Thus Savery’s engine sucked and blew, just like a bellows, but the sucking was caused by condensing steam and the blowing was caused by expanding steam.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
