tuck
1to put into a small, close, or concealing place: Tuck the money into your wallet.
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.
to cover snugly in or as if in this manner: She tucked the children into bed.
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.
Needlework. to sew tucks in.
to pass (a strand) above or below another one.
Informal. to eat or drink (usually followed by in, away, etc.): He tucked away a big meal.
to fit securely or snugly: a bed that tucks into the corner.
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.
something tucked or folded in.
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.
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.: Compare layout (def. 10), pike7.
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.
Informal. a plastic surgery operation: a tummy tuck.
Nautical. the part of a vessel where the after ends of the outside planking or plating unite at the sternpost.
(in tying knots) the operation of passing one strand above or below another.
British Slang. food.
tuck into, to eat with gusto: We tucked into a roast beef dinner.
Origin of tuck
1Other words from tuck
- un·tucked, adjective
Other definitions for tuck (2 of 4)
Origin of tuck
2Other definitions for tuck (3 of 4)
a rapier, estoc, or other thrusting sword.
Origin of tuck
3Other definitions for tuck (4 of 4)
a drumbeat or the sound of one beat on a drum.
Origin of tuck
4Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use tuck in a sentence
After 20 minutes of no movement, Fitzsimmons covers her in blankets and tucks her in on all sides.
Other than that, nothing but the run-of-the-mill little nips and tucks that are widely considered permissible.
Michael Tomasky on Wimpy Mitt Romney’s Missing Backbone | Michael Tomasky | July 31, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTShe tucks her slender frame against him, and he wraps his arm around her.
The Senate Finance spokesperson, Scott Moorehauser, dismisses the whole subject of nips and tucks as a “ total non-starter.”
Pretty soon, another one come back–a moustached gent, a right dudey one, with yalla tucks on his sleeves.
Alec Lloyd, Cowpuncher | Eleanor Gates
Ut arbitror in the right margin seems exactly the thing that an author tucks in when revising and qualifying his work.
The Supposed Autographa of John the Scot | Edward Kennard RandI am finishing this letter while Genevra sings to the children their good-night songs and tucks them into their beds.
Italian Days and Ways | Anne Hollingsworth WhartonThe buyer tucks the sticky stuff up in the corner of her garment and ties it carefully into a knot before starting homeward.
Round the Wonderful World | G. E. MittonMost of these men were armed with long tucks, as the straight stabbing swords, much used by Cromwell's soldiery, were then called.
Peveril of the Peak | Sir Walter Scott
British Dictionary definitions for tuck (1 of 4)
/ (tʌk) /
(tr) to push or fold into a small confined space or concealed place or between two surfaces: to tuck a letter into an envelope
(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
to make a tuck or tucks in (a garment)
(usually tr) to draw together, contract, or pucker
a tucked object or part
a pleat or fold in a part of a garment, usually stitched down so as to make it a better fit or as decoration
the part of a vessel where the after ends of the planking or plating meet at the sternpost
British
an informal or schoolchild's word for food, esp cakes and sweets
(as modifier): a tuck box
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
Origin of tuck
1British Dictionary definitions for tuck (2 of 4)
/ (tʌk) /
archaic a rapier
Origin of tuck
2British Dictionary definitions for tuck (3 of 4)
/ (tʌk) dialect /
a touch, blow, or stroke
(tr) to touch or strike
(intr) to throb or bump
Origin of tuck
3British Dictionary definitions for Tuck (4 of 4)
/ (tʌk) /
See Friar Tuck
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with tuck
In addition to the idioms beginning with tuck
- tuck away
- tuck in
- tuck into
also see:
- nip and tuck
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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