Updike

American

[uhp-dahyk] / ˈʌpˌdaɪk /

noun

John, 1932–2009, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.

Updike British

/ ˈʌpˌdaɪk /

noun

John ( Hoyer ). 1932–2009, US writer. His novels include Rabbit, Run (1960), Couples (1968), The Coup (1979), Brazil (1993), Seek My Face (2003), and Rabbit is Rich (1982) and Rabbit at Rest (1990), both of which won Pulitzer prizes

"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

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.

John Updike was among the most prolific writers of American fiction and criticism during his lifetime.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 15, 2025

Updike appreciated cats, adored Doris Day, was always eager “to do right, and reap the appropriate praise.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

It was hailed by John Updike as a "Tiger Woodesian debut" and made her a celebrity at 36.

From BBC • Sep. 4, 2025

John Updike once described writing as a matter of “taking a deep breath, leaning out over the typewriter and trying to drive a little deeper than the first words that come to mind.”

From New York Times • Jul. 27, 2023

But the main reason people call me White Rabbit is because we had to read this very sad book by John Updike.

From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023