suction

[suhk-shuh n]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR suction ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act, process, or condition of sucking.

the force that, by a pressure differential, attracts a substance or object to the region of lower pressure.

the act or process of producing such a force.

verb (used with object)

to draw out or remove by aspiration.

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. 2019

Related Words for suction

weight, advantage, clout, intake, digestion, consumption, saturation, penetration, retention, suction, absorb, inhale, drink, pull, grease, power, authority, break, drag, edge

Examples from the Web for suction

Contemporary Examples of suction

The tube was to be inserted so it could suction out the blood and air packed in the chest and prevent the lung from collapsing.
Jimmy Breslin on JFK’s Assassination: Two Classic Columns
Jimmy Breslin
November 22, 2013

Historical Examples of suction

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.
Old-Time Makers of Medicine
James J. Walsh
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

the act or process of sucking

the force or condition produced by a pressure difference, as the force holding a suction cap onto a surface

the act or process of producing such a force or condition

Derived Formssuctional, adjective

Word Origin for suction

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

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

suction in Science

suction

[sŭk′shən]

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.

The act of reducing pressure to create such a force, as by the use of a pump or fan.