chuck
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to toss; throw with a quick motion, usually a short distance.
Chuck that book to me, will you?
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Informal. to resign from; relinquish; give up.
He's chucked his job.
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to pat, tap, or stroke lightly, as under the chin.
She chucks her grown son under his chin as if he were still a baby.
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Informal. to eject (a person) from a public place (often followed byout ).
They chucked him from the bar.
I've been chucked out of better places than this!
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Slang. to vomit; upchuck.
It's the third time this week the dog's chucked his dinner.
noun
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a light pat, tap, or stroke, as under the chin.
Let Grammy give her angel a little chuck.
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a toss or pitch; a short throw.
Give it a chuck over here.
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a sudden jerk or change in direction.
She gave the toboggan a chuck and we all tumbled off into the snow.
idioms
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chuck it, stop it; shut up.
Sorry for snapping, but your children don't know when to chuck it!
noun
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the cut of beef between the neck and the shoulder blade.
Braise the chuck and you'll have a tender, inexpensive piece of meat.
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a block or log used as a chock.
Have you got a chuck I can use to keep my wagon from rolling?
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Machinery.
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a device for centering and clamping work in a lathe or other machine tool.
You can't do the fine lathe work on the spindles without a proper chuck.
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a device for holding a drill bit.
This drill has a keyless chuck, which is great for jobs requiring frequent bit changes.
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verb (used with object)
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Machinery. to hold or secure with a chuck.
A poorly chucked drill bit is neither efficient nor safe.
verb (used with or without object)
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to cluck.
The hypnotist made them chuck like chickens!
A mother hen is chucking her chicks to come to her side.
noun
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a clucking sound.
We heard a loud chuck and saw him dashing from the henhouse with our prized layer.
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Archaic. (used as a term of endearment).
my love, my chuck.
noun
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food or provisions, as on a cattle ranch or trail.
By the time we stopped for some chuck, I was too dang tired to eat.
noun
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Those blasted chucks have wiped out our entire garden.
noun
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Just give me some fresh air and clean chuck.
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any body of water.
Lordy, that Lake Nipigon is a beautiful chuck.
noun
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a male given name, form of Charles.
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Older Slang: Usually Disparaging and Offensive.
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a term used to refer to a white person.
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white society, culture, and values.
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verb
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informal to throw
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to pat affectionately, esp under the chin
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informal to give up; reject
he chucked up his job
she chucked her boyfriend
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slang to vomit
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informal to abuse or make fun of
noun
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a throw or toss
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a playful pat under the chin
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informal dismissal
noun
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Also called: chuck steak. a cut of beef extending from the neck to the shoulder blade
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Also called: three jaw chuck. a device that holds a workpiece in a lathe or tool in a drill, having a number of adjustable jaws geared to move in unison to centralize the workpiece or tool
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Also called: four jaw chuck. independent jaw chuck. a similar device having independently adjustable jaws for holding an unsymmetrical workpiece
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verb
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(intr) a less common word for cluck
noun
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a clucking sound
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a term of endearment
noun
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a large body of water
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short for saltchuck
Sensitive Note
Chuck in its slang sense was used especially in the 1960s and 1970s by Black people. This use arose by analogy with Mister Charlie, a slang term used in the same sense and also derived from a nickname for Charles.
Etymology
Origin of chuck1
First recorded in 1575–85; origin uncertain; possibly from French choquer “to knock, clash;” shock 1 ( def. )
Origin of chuck2
First recorded in 1665–75; variant of chock; chunk 1
Origin of chuck3
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English chuk, expressive word, apparently imitative
Origin of chuck4
First recorded in 1840–50; special use of chuck 2
Origin of chuck5
By shortening
Origin of chuck6
First recorded in 1855–60; from Chinook Jargon, probably from Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka) čʾaʔak “water,” reinforced by Lower Chinook ł-čuq “water”
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.
Now, as residents begin the long process of rebuilding, Martinez is pushing her neighbors to chuck the lumber and build with noncombustible materials instead.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 12, 2025
Union Square Cafe uses a specialty blend of brisket, short rib and chuck developed with Manhattan butcher Pat LaFrieda.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025
Analysts are predicting the administration’s maneuvers won’t prove very helpful for beef-loving Americans, who have been dealing for months with elevated prices for products like ground chuck and steak.
From MarketWatch • Oct. 24, 2025
"It was a smart move not to just chuck him in," he said.
From BBC • Oct. 4, 2025
All he did was lift the Atlantic Monthly off his lap and try to chuck it on the bed, next to me.
From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger
Definitions 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.
