pucker
Americanverb (used with or without object)
-
puckers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
puckered,
past participle, past
-
puckering
present participle
noun
-
puckers
plural
-
a wrinkle; an irregular fold.
-
a puckered part, as of cloth tightly or crookedly sewn.
-
Archaic. a state of agitation or perturbation.
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
puckersimple
-
puckerssimple
-
have puckeredperfect
-
has puckeredperfect
-
am puckeringprogressive
-
are puckeringprogressive
-
is puckeringprogressive
-
have been puckeringperfect progressive
-
has been puckeringperfect progressive
Past
-
puckeredsimple
-
had puckeredperfect
-
was puckeringprogressive
-
were puckeringprogressive
-
had been puckeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pucker
1590–1600; apparently a frequentative form connected with poke 2; see -er 6 and for the meaning cf. purse
Explanation
Pucker is a verb for what happens when something smooth or flat gets folded up into little wrinkles, like how you pucker your lips when you go to kiss someone — you, wild flirt, you! When you use a sewing machine, sometimes the cloth puckers in wrinkly clumps that make it hard to sew in a straight line. Most of the time, it’s lips that do the puckering, maybe because you want a kiss, but also sucking on a lemon can make your lips pucker. If someone tells you to “pucker up,” they might want to kiss you, or they might throw a sour pickle at your head. Either way, get ready.
Vocabulary lists containing pucker
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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.
See Examples For:
Depending on how much you add, you might even get a delectable little Oh, what is that? pucker at the end of each bite.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
He avoids kissing for 24 hours before a performance and 48 hours before a competition because it makes it difficult to sustain a pucker.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
Mattel should have considered traditional pucker toe moccasins, instead of black shoes, and included symbols on the basket that Cherokees use to tell a story, she said.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 4, 2023
If a bite of dandelion greens or extra-dark chocolate makes you pucker, there’s good reason.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 12, 2023
His lips scrunched up in a playful pucker.
From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
The building alternately puckers and swells, like the indolent flexing of a muscle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The crunchy onion gives a little sweetness while the pickle puckers in the most pleasing way to cut through all that heat.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 27, 2022
There are friendly masks with big, toothy grins, or red lipstick puckers.
From Washington Post ● May 18, 2020
He looks sidewise at the correctional officers, and when he is sure they aren’t looking, he puckers his lips to fit them through the iron grid separating him from her, and they kiss.
From The Verge ● Mar. 13, 2019
Zohra puckers her clown lips and blows me a kiss.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
The seams in the seat jackets of our tester were puckered and imperfect.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
Hashtags such as #sunburntanlines, #sunpoisoning and #sunstroke are popping up alongside videos of young men and women - some in tears - revealing deep red, almost purple, often puckered skin.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2025
Unscrewing the cap on a tube of mauve goo and giving it a generous swipe across puckered lips.
From New York Times ● Oct. 24, 2023
He puckered his lips and blew, as if spitting spitting water while laughing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2022
On his back below the hump, four blowholes puckered for air.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
Astringency is the dry, puckering, rough, or sandpapery feeling people notice when eating foods rich in certain plant compounds called polyphenols.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 7, 2026
But those who are familiar with and enjoy Robinson’s puckering brand of cringe are probably up for the challenge — which it is, in the best way.
From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2025
In fact, she’s so dedicated to that social critique that she can’t accept any contradictory evidence, even when gorgeous male celebrity lips are puckering up right in front of her.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 28, 2023
The building — which soars some 15 stories — sits surrounded by a chain-link fence, with broken windows puckering its elongated, and rusted, rooftop cupola.
From New York Times ● Jan. 22, 2022
Her lips stop puckering, just for a few seconds.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
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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.
