suction

[suhk-shuhn]

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.

verb (used with object)

1. to draw out or remove by aspiration.

suction

/ 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

suction

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.

Other Word Forms

• suctional adjective
• nonsuction noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of suction¹

1605–15; < Late Latin sūctiōn- (stem of sūctiō ) a sucking, equivalent to Latin sūct ( us ) (past participle of sūgere to suck ) + -iōn- -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of suction¹

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

Example Sentences

Cutter suction dredgers harvest material for further expansion.

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

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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.

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

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For pools filled with ash, he suctioned contaminated water with a vacuum truck and sent it to locations that treat wastewater.

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Related Words

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