suction

American  

[suhk-shuhn] / ˈsʌk ʃən /

noun

1. the act, process, or condition of sucking. 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.

suction British  

/ ˈsʌkʃən /

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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suction Scientific  

/ 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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Other Word Forms

• nonsuction noun
• suctional adjective

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

Some engineers say the future isn’t in replicating the human shape but in improving on it, with four hands instead of two, or suction grippers instead of fingers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Cutter suction dredgers harvest material for further expansion.

From The Wall Street Journal

The most promising model is a robot with 12 arms, six on either side, each bearing a camera and suction cups.

From The Wall Street Journal

They will silently show you how it’s done with an impossibly balletic ollie, their board magically suctioned to their soles as they slide down the whole length of the thing.

From The Wall Street Journal

Robot arms tend to be equipped with two- or three-pronged pincers or with suction cups.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• consumption
• digestion
• intake
• penetration
• retention
• saturation