suck
Americanverb (used with object)
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to draw into the mouth by producing a partial vacuum by action of the lips and tongue.
to suck lemonade through a straw.
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to draw (water, moisture, air, etc.) by or as if by suction.
Plants suck moisture from the earth. The pump sucked water from the basement.
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to apply the lips or mouth to and draw upon by producing a partial vacuum, especially for extracting fluid contents.
to suck an orange.
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to put into the mouth and draw upon.
to suck one's thumb.
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to take into the mouth and dissolve by the action of the tongue, saliva, etc..
to suck a piece of candy.
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to render or bring to a specified condition by or as if by sucking.
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Slang: Vulgar. to perform fellatio on (sometimes followed byoff ).
verb (used without object)
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to draw something in by producing a partial vacuum in the mouth, especially to draw milk from the breast.
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to draw or be drawn by or as if by suction.
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(of a pump) to draw air instead of water, as when the water is low or a valve is defective.
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Slang. to be repellent or unpleasant.
Poverty sucks.
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Slang. to be inferior, as in quality or execution; be poor.
Everyone says the show sucks. She sucks at tennis.
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Slang. to behave in a fawning manner (usually followed byaround ).
noun
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an act or instance of sucking.
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a sucking force.
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the sound produced by sucking.
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that which is sucked; nourishment drawn from the breast.
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a small drink; sip.
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a whirlpool.
verb phrase
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suck in to deceive; cheat; defraud.
The confidence man sucked us all in.
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suck up to be obsequious; toady.
The workers are all sucking up to him because he's the one who decides who'll get the bonuses.
idioms
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suck face, to engage in soul-kissing.
verb
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to draw (a liquid or other substance) into the mouth by creating a partial vacuum in the mouth
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to draw in (fluid, etc) by or as if by a similar action
plants suck moisture from the soil
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to drink milk from (a mother's breast); suckle
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(tr) to extract fluid content from (a solid food)
to suck a lemon
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(tr) to take into the mouth and moisten, dissolve, or roll around with the tongue
to suck one's thumb
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(tr; often foll by down, in, etc) to draw by using irresistible force
the whirlpool sucked him down
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(intr) (of a pump) to draw in air because of a low supply level or leaking valves, pipes, etc
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(tr) to assimilate or acquire (knowledge, comfort, etc)
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slang (intr) to be contemptible or disgusting
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informal doing very well; successful
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informal to try something to find out what it is, what it is like, or how it works
noun
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the act or an instance of sucking
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something that is sucked, esp milk from the mother's breast
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to give (a baby or young animal) milk from the breast or udder
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an attracting or sucking force
the suck of the whirlpool was very strong
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a sound caused by sucking
Other Word Forms
- outsuck verb (used with object)
- suckless adjective
- unsucked adjective
Etymology
Origin of suck
First recorded before 900; (verb) Middle English souken, Old English sūcan, cognate with Latin sūgere; (noun) Middle English souke “act of suckling,” derivative of the noun; akin to soak
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.
His answer was that there were always alternatives, many of them militaristic in nature, in the wings to suck up the funds that had been spent in the past.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026
Bank trade groups have argued that yield payments could suck out deposits, especially from community banks.
From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026
Media reports in Singapore described a 19-year-old woman who died after inhaling three pearls while trying to suck through a partially blocked straw.
From Science Daily • Mar. 1, 2026
He said in his resignation letter his contributions included investigating why generative AI systems suck up to users, combatting AI-assisted bioterrorism risks and researching "how AI assistants could make us less human".
From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026
But I suck it up like a Jackson’s supposed to and look her dead in her eyes.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
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.
