suction
Americannoun
-
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)
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
-
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.
Other Word Forms
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
Explanation
Suction is a force created when there's a difference in air pressure. When you use a straw to drink a milkshake, suction forces the delicious ice cream to move up into your mouth. Suction comes from the same Latin root as suck. Suction happens when a vacuum cleaner sucks up dirt or when someone sucks on a straw. At the dentist, suction is used to get rid of all the extra saliva while they work on your teeth. (Yuck.) Suction can also make things stick to hard surfaces. Some frogs can stick to windows with their little suction cup toes.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She turned a maroon tablecloth into a makeshift curtain, attaching it to the French doors with suction cups.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
It will seat one person and be equipped with a multi-mode suction system and cold-gas thrusters that can boost it into the air.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Leaves also created the raw material for trees’ bark and wood, and even the suction to lift water far from the roots via a network of internal plumbing called xylem.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The Soviet-era Paks power plant uses the Danube for cooling but the water level is so low that the suction nozzles cannot reach it.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Francis, with his interest in theory, had neglected to fasten securely the rubber tubing around his suction pump.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
