tuck

¹

[tuhk]

verb (used with object)

1. to put into a small, close, or concealing place.

   Tuck the money into your wallet.

2. to thrust in the loose end or edge of (a garment, covering, etc.) so as to hold closely in place (usually followed by in, up, under, etc.).

   Tuck in your blouse.

   Tuck the edge of the sheet under the mattress.

3. to cover snugly in or as if in this manner.

   She tucked the children into bed.

4. to pull up into a fold or folds; draw up into a folded arrangement (usually followed by in, up, etc.).

   to tuck up one's skirts;

   to tuck one's knees under one's chin.

5. Needlework.,  to sew tucks in.

6. to pass (a strand) above or below another one.

7. Informal.,  to eat or drink (usually followed by in, away, etc.).

   He tucked away a big meal.

verb (used without object)

1. to draw together; contract; pucker.

2. Needlework.,  to make tucks.

3. to fit securely or snugly.

   a bed that tucks into the corner.

4. to secure one's penis between one's legs so that the crotch is flat, often done by gender-diverse people as part of their gender expression.

   When I'm performing, I usually tuck, because it makes me feel more confident.

noun

1. something tucked or folded in.

2. Sewing.,  a fold, or one of a series of folds, made by doubling cloth upon itself and stitching parallel with the edge of the fold, used for decoration or for shortening or fitting a garment.

3. Diving, Gymnastics.,  a body position in which the head is lowered and the thighs held against the chest with the knees bent and the arms locked around the shins.

4. Skiing.,  a crouch in which the ski poles are held close to the chest, extending back under the arms and parallel to the ground, as to maximize speed downhill.

5. Informal.,  a plastic surgery operation.

   a tummy tuck.

6. Nautical.,  the part of a vessel where the after ends of the outside planking or plating unite at the sternpost.

7. (in tying knots) the operation of passing one strand above or below another.

8. British Slang.,  food.

verb phrase

1. tuck into,  to eat with gusto.

   We tucked into a roast beef dinner.

tuck

²

[tuhk]

noun

Informal.

1. tuxedo.

tuck

³

[tuhk]

noun

Archaic.

1. a rapier, estoc, or other thrusting sword.

tuck

⁴

[tuhk]

noun

Chiefly Scot.

1. a drumbeat or the sound of one beat on a drum.

tuck

¹

/ tʌk /

verb

1. (tr) to push or fold into a small confined space or concealed place or between two surfaces

   to tuck a letter into an envelope

2. (tr) to thrust the loose ends or sides of (something) into a confining space, so as to make neat and secure

   to tuck the sheets under the mattress

3. to make a tuck or tucks in (a garment)

4. (usually tr) to draw together, contract, or pucker

noun

1. a tucked object or part

2. a pleat or fold in a part of a garment, usually stitched down so as to make it a better fit or as decoration

3. the part of a vessel where the after ends of the planking or plating meet at the sternpost

4. 1. an informal or schoolchild's word for food, esp cakes and sweets

   2. ( as modifier )

      a tuck box

5. a position of the body in certain dives in which the legs are bent with the knees drawn up against the chest and tightly clasped

tuck

²

/ tʌk /

noun

1. a touch, blow, or stroke

verb

1. (tr) to touch or strike

2. (intr) to throb or bump

Tuck

³

/ tʌk /

noun

1. See Friar Tuck

tuck

⁴

/ tʌk /

noun

1. archaic,  a rapier

Other Word Forms

• untucked adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tuck¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English t(o)uken “to stretch (cloth), torment,” Old English tūcian “to torment”; akin to Middle Low German tucken “to tug,” German zucken “to jerk”; tow ¹

Origin of tuck²

By shortening and respelling

Origin of tuck³

First recorded in 1500–10; earlier tocke, apparently phonetic variant of obsolete stock “sword,” from Italian stocco, from German Stock “stick”; cognate with stock

Origin of tuck⁴

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English tukken “to beat, sound (said of a drum),” from Middle French (north) toker “to strike, touch”; touch

Word History and Origins

Origin of tuck¹

C14: from Old English tūcian to torment; related to Middle Dutch tucken to tug, Old High German zucchen to twitch

Origin of tuck²

C16: from Middle English tukken to beat a drum, from Old Northern French toquer to _touch ; compare _tucket

Origin of tuck³

C16: from French estoc sword, from Old French: tree trunk, sword, of Germanic origin

Idioms and Phrases

• nip and tuck

Example Sentences

Despite that feeling, Broad recovered to take five wickets and, that evening, walked into the news conference with the Courier Mail tucked under his arm.

Read more on BBC

The danger again came from the right-hand side as a flighted ball was headed back across the six-yard box by Mohamed-Ali Cho and the Moroccan tucked home from a tight angle.

Read more on Barron's

After a long day, I find myself wishing I could curl up with French onion soup or tuck into a perfectly pink steak frites.

Read more on Salon

In San Jose, Calif., at a data center tucked between a Costco and a highway, Equinix produces its own power using fuel cells, which convert natural gas into electricity, and some solar panels.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

I became the quiet architect behind family dinners, steering Thanksgiving over the finish line, tucking myself into someone else’s kitchen for the holidays.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• insert 
• pinch 
• wrap