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suction

[suhk-shuh n]
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noun
  1. the act, process, or condition of sucking.
  2. the force that, by a pressure differential, attracts a substance or object to the region of lower pressure.
  3. the act or process of producing such a force.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to draw out or remove by aspiration.
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Origin of suction

1605–15; < Late Latin sūctiōn- (stem of sūctiō) a sucking, equivalent to Latin sūct(us) (past participle of sūgere to suck) + -iōn- -ion
Related formssuc·tion·al, adjectivenon·suc·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

weightadvantagecloutintakedigestionconsumptionsaturationpenetrationretentionsuctionabsorbinhaledrinkpullgreasepowerauthoritybreakdragedge

Examples from the Web for suction

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • A series of suction cups or sucking pads were at the end of each tentacle.

    Martians Never Die

    Lucius Daniel

  • Even the slain deer was already beginning to yield to the suction from beneath.

    The Fiery Totem

    Argyll Saxby

  • What must have been holding the suction cap against the inside of the jar?

    Common Science

    Carleton W. Washburne

  • The water may be drawn out by means of suction through a reed.

  • I could see a respirator off to my right, and a suction octopus near it.

    Attrition

    Jim Wannamaker

British Dictionary definitions for suction

suction

noun
  1. the act or process of sucking
  2. the force or condition produced by a pressure difference, as the force holding a suction cap onto a surface
  3. the act or process of producing such a force or condition
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Derived Formssuctional, adjective

Word Origin

C17: from Late Latin suctiō a sucking, from Latin sūgere to suck
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

Word Origin and History for suction

n.

1620s, from Late Latin suctionem (nominative suctio), noun of action from past participle stem of Latin sugere "to suck" (see suck).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
suction in Science

suction

[sŭk′shən]
  1. A force acting on a fluid caused by difference in pressure between two regions, tending to make the fluid flow from the region of higher pressure to the region of lower pressure.
  2. The act of reducing pressure to create such a force, as by the use of a pump or fan.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.