suck

[ suhk ]

/ sʌk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR suck ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to draw into the mouth by producing a partial vacuum by action of the lips and tongue: to suck lemonade through a straw.

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.

to apply the lips or mouth to and draw upon by producing a partial vacuum, especially for extracting fluid contents: to suck an orange.

to put into the mouth and draw upon: to suck one's thumb.

to take into the mouth and dissolve by the action of the tongue, saliva, etc.: to suck a piece of candy.

to render or bring to a specified condition by or as if by sucking.

verb (used without object)

to draw something in by producing a partial vacuum in the mouth, especially to draw milk from the breast.

to draw or be drawn by or as if by suction.

(of a pump) to draw air instead of water, as when the water is low or a valve is defective.

Slang. to behave in a fawning manner (usually followed by around).

Slang. to be repellent or unpleasant: Poverty sucks.

Slang. to be inferior, as in quality or execution; be poor: Everyone says the show sucks. She sucks at tennis.

noun

an act or instance of sucking.

a sucking force.

the sound produced by sucking.

that which is sucked; nourishment drawn from the breast.

a small drink; sip.

a whirlpool.

Verb Phrases

suck in, Slang. to deceive; cheat; defraud: The confidence man sucked us all in.

suck off, Slang: Vulgar. to fellate.

suck up, Slang. to be obsequious; toady: The workers are all sucking up to him because he's the one who decides who'll get the bonuses.

Nearby words

such as, such as it is, suchlike, suchness, suchou, suck, suck in, suck off, suck up to, sucker, sucker bait

Idioms

suck face, to engage in soul-kissing.

Origin of suck

before 900; (v.) Middle English souken, Old English sūcan, cognate with Latin sūgere; (noun) Middle English souke act of suckling, derivative of the noun; akin to soak

Related forms

suck·less, adjectiveout·suck, verb (used with object)un·sucked, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sucks

Republicans need to rebuild their brand, which Rand Paul said quite graphically “sucks.”
Can Obama and a Republican Senate Find Common Ground?|Eleanor Clift|November 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Today, she takes the formula from me and sucks down every last drop of liquid like a desert-thirsty nomad.
When An Adopted Child Won’t Attach|Tina Traster|May 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Or to put it another if equally inadequate way: Whatever comes next, sucks.
Comedy Is His Calling: The Brilliance of Billy Crystal|Tom Shales|April 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In January, the Shreveport Times reported that McAllister said that his job "sucks [and] it ain't no fun."
Duck Dynasty Congressman In Sex Scandal|Ben Jacobs|April 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The more he talks, the more he sucks, and viewers and critics have been hopping off the Juan wagon.
Juan Pablo Has Ruined ‘The Bachelor’|Brandy Zadrozny|February 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He shakes his head in a dismal way several times, and sucks hard at his cigar as he shakes it.
The Dop Doctor|Clotilde Inez Mary Graves
In a minute or two the newborn pigling creeps close to its mother and sucks milk.
The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4)|J. Arthur Thomson
He must have been strongly tempted to retort: "I wasn't whacked, so sucks!"
Tell England|Ernest Raymond
The practitioner scarifies over the seat of pain, and then sucks about the wound.
Original Narratives of Early American History|Vaca and Others
New York sucks in all the young blood of the country—the talent and energy.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, October, 1877, Vol. XX. No. 118|Various

British Dictionary definitions for sucks (1 of 2)

sucks

/ (sʌks) /

interjection slang

an expression of disappointment

an exclamation of defiance or derision (esp in the phrase yah boo sucks to you)

British Dictionary definitions for sucks (2 of 2)

suck

/ (sʌk) /

verb

to draw (a liquid or other substance) into the mouth by creating a partial vacuum in the mouth

to draw in (fluid, etc) by or as if by a similar actionplants suck moisture from the soil

to drink milk from (a mother's breast); suckle

(tr) to extract fluid content from (a solid food)to suck a lemon

(tr) to take into the mouth and moisten, dissolve, or roll around with the tongueto suck one's thumb

(tr; often foll by down, in, etc) to draw by using irresistible forcethe whirlpool sucked him down

(intr) (of a pump) to draw in air because of a low supply level or leaking valves, pipes, etc

(tr) to assimilate or acquire (knowledge, comfort, etc)

(intr) slang to be contemptible or disgusting

sucking diesel informal doing very well; successful

suck it and see informal to try something to find out what it is, what it is like, or how it works

noun

the act or an instance of sucking

something that is sucked, esp milk from the mother's breast

give suck to to give (a baby or young animal) milk from the breast or udder

an attracting or sucking forcethe suck of the whirlpool was very strong

a sound caused by sucking

See also suck in, suck off, sucks, suck up to

Derived Forms

suckless, adjective

Word Origin for suck

Old English sūcan; related to Old Norse súga, Middle Dutch sūgen, Latin sūgere to suck, exhaust; see soak

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