suck
Americanverb (used with object)
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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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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.
“I have no regrets,” said Kachejian, 63, author of the book “SUVs Suck In Combat: The Rebuilding of Iraq During A Raging Insurgency.”
From Seattle Times • Nov. 10, 2023
Suck on a menthol cough drop and you’ll feel your airways open up, a cooling breeze as you breathe in and a momentary easing of the scratchiness in your throat.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2022
Remember the search engines Lycos and Excite, or vanished digital publications like Feed or Suck?
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 1, 2018
In my first few hours at the Make the Breast Pump Not Suck Hackathon, hosted at the MIT Media Lab, I was afraid my fears about the dangers of breastfeeding mommy wars were being confirmed.
From Slate • Apr. 30, 2018
The camera flashed but missed as Otto and Sheed’s Time Suck made a sharp right and darted from Town Square.
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
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.
