Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense sucks, present participle sucking, past tense, past participle sucked
1. verb
If you suck something, you hold it in your mouth and pull at it with the muscles in your cheeks and tongue, for example in order to get liquid out of it.
They waited in silence and sucked their sweets. [VERB noun]
He sucked on his straw. [V + on/at]
Doran was clutching the bottle with both hands and sucking intently. [VERB]
Synonyms: drink, sip, draw, sup More Synonyms of suck
2. verb
If something sucks a liquid, gas, or object in a particular direction, it draws it there with a powerful force.
The pollution-control team is at the scene and is due to start sucking up oil anytime now. [VERB noun with adverb]
The air is sucked out by a high-powered fan. [VERB noun with adverb]
They sucked in deep lungfuls of air. [VERB noun with adverb]
The pilot was almost sucked from the cockpit when a window shattered. [beVERB-ed preposition]
[Also VERB noun preposition]
Synonyms: take, draw, pull, extract More Synonyms of suck
3. passive verb
If you are suckedinto a bad situation, you are unable to prevent yourself from becoming involved in it.
He warned that if the President tried to enforce control, the country would be suckedinto a power vacuum. [beV-ed into n]
...the extent to which they have been sucked into the cycle of violence. [beVERB-ed + into]
4. verb [no cont]
If someone says that something sucks, they are indicating that they think it is very bad.
[informal, rude, feelings]
The system sucks. [VERB]
5. to suck someone dry
Phrasal verbs:
See suck up
More Synonyms of suck
suck in British English
(sʌk)
verb
1.
to draw (a liquid or other substance) into the mouth by creating a partial vacuum in the mouth
2.
to draw in (fluid, etc) by or as if by a similar action
plants suck moisture from the soil
3.
to drink milk from (a mother's breast); suckle
4. (transitive)
to extract fluid content from (a solid food)
to suck a lemon
5. (transitive)
to take into the mouth and moisten, dissolve, or roll around with the tongue
to suck one's thumb
6. (tr; often foll by down, in, etc)
to draw by using irresistible force
the whirlpool sucked him down
7. (intransitive)
(of a pump) to draw in air because of a low supply level or leaking valves, pipes, etc
8. (transitive)
to assimilate or acquire (knowledge, comfort, etc)
9. (intransitive) slang
to be contemptible or disgusting
10. sucking diesel
11. suck it and see
12. suck it up
noun
13.
the act or an instance of sucking
14.
something that is sucked, esp milk from the mother's breast
15. give suck to
16.
an attracting or sucking force
the suck of the whirlpool was very strong
17.
a sound caused by sucking
Derived forms
suckless (ˈsuckless)
adjective
Word origin
Old English sūcan; related to Old Norse súga, Middle Dutch sūgen, Latin sūgere to suck, exhaust; see soak
suck in American English
(sʌk)
verb transitive
1.
a.
to draw (liquid) into the mouth by creating a vacuum or partial vacuum with the lips, cheeks, and tongue
b.
to draw up (water, oil, etc.) by the action of a pump
2.
to take up or in by or as by sucking; absorb, inhale, etc.
to suck air into the lungs
3.
to suck liquid from (a breast, fruit, etc.)
4.
to hold (candy, ice, etc.) in the mouth and lick so as to dissolve and consume
5.
to place (the thumb, a pencil, etc.) in the mouth and draw on as if sucking
6.
to bring into a specified state by sucking
to suck an orange dry
7. Slang, Vulgar
to perform fellatio on
verb intransitive
8.
to draw in water, air, etc. by creating a partial vacuum
9.
to suck milk from the breast or udder
10.
to hold something in the mouth and lick or draw on it
used with on or at
to suck on a piece of ice, sucking away at his pipe
11.
to make a sound or movement of sucking
12.
to draw in air instead of liquid
said of a faulty pump
13. Slang
to be contemptible or very unsatisfying, as because of low quality
this show sucks
noun
14.
the act of sucking; sucking action or force; suction
15.
a sound or movement of sucking
16.
a.
something drawn in by sucking
b. Informal
the amount sucked at one time; sip
Idioms:
suck in
suck up (to)
Word origin
ME suken < OE sucan, akin to Ger saugen < IE *seuk-, *seug- < base *seu-, damp, juice > sup1, L sucus, juice, sugere, to suck
More idioms containing
suck
teach your grandmother to suck eggs
suck it and see
Examples of 'suck' in a sentence
suck
Somehow we suck all the good out of them.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You have just got to suck it up and get on with it.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
She just had to suck it up.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Switch on the vacuum cleaner and place the hose on the valve to suck the air out of the bag.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
It was a great reminder of how a really good movie can suck you in and make you forget minor woes.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Or learning to suck something, anyway.
The Sun (2015)
In other languages
suck
British English: suck /sʌk/ VERB
If you suck something, you hold it in your mouth and pull at it with the muscles in your cheeks and tongue, for example in order to get liquid out of it.
You may prefer to give her a dummy to suck instead.
They waited in silence and sucked their sweets.
American English: suck
Arabic: يَرْضَع
Brazilian Portuguese: sugar
Chinese: 吮吸
Croatian: sisati
Czech: sát
Danish: sutte
Dutch: zuigen
European Spanish: chupar
Finnish: imeä
French: sucer
German: saugen
Greek: ρουφώ
Italian: succhiare
Japanese: 吸う
Korean: 입으로 빨다
Norwegian: suge
Polish: possać
European Portuguese: sugar
Romanian: a suge
Russian: сосать
Latin American Spanish: chupar
Swedish: suga
Thai: ดูด
Turkish: emmek
Ukrainian: смоктати
Vietnamese: mút
All related terms of 'suck'
suck in
to attract by using an inexorable force, inducement , etc
suck up
You say that someone is sucking up to a person in authority when you do not like the fact that they are trying to please the person because of the person's position.
suck off
to perform the act of fellatio or cunnilingus on
suck it up
to accept an unpleasant fact or situation
suck up to
to flatter for one's own profit ; toady
give suck to
to give (a baby or young animal) milk from the breast or udder
suck up (to)
to flatter or fawn (on) ingratiatingly
suck it and see
said to mean that the only way to find out if something new is a good idea and is likely to be successful is to actually try it
to suck someone dry
If you say that someone is sucking something dry or milking it dry , you are criticizing them for taking all the good things from it until there is nothing left.
teach your grandmother to suck eggs
to give advice about something to someone who actually knows more about it than you do
teach one's grandmother to suck eggs
to presume to teach someone something that he or she knows already
Chinese translation of 'suck'
suck
(sʌk)
vt
[ice-lolly, sweet]含在嘴里(裡)舔吃 (hán zài zuǐ li tiǎnchī)
[dummy, thumb]吮 (shǔn)
[pump, machine]抽吸 (chōuxī)
vi
to suck (on/at sth)吮(某物) (shǔn (mǒuwù))
1 (verb)
Definition
to draw (a liquid) into the mouth through pursed lips
They waited in silence and sucked their drinks through straws.
Synonyms
drink
He drank his cup of tea.
sip
Jessica sipped her drink thoughtfully.
draw
sup
siphon
quaff
The older guys quaff their breakfast cappuccinos.
slurp
2 (verb)
Definition
to draw in (fluid) as if by sucking
The air is sucked out by a high-powered fan.
Synonyms
take
He took a handkerchief from his pocket.
draw
They still have to draw their water from wells.
pull
Wes was in the yard pulling weeds when we drove up.
extract
He extracted a small notebook from his pocket.
3 (verb)
Definition
to be contemptible or disgusting
(informal)
The system sucks.
Synonyms
be very bad
be terrible
be awful
be dreadful
be foul
be very unpleasant
Phrasal verbs
See suck someone in or into something
See suck up to someone
Additional synonyms
in the sense of draw
Definition
to cause (pus) to discharge from an abscess or wound
They still have to draw their water from wells.
Synonyms
extract,
take,
remove,
pump,
drain,
suck
in the sense of extract
Definition
to remove from a container
He extracted a small notebook from his pocket.
Synonyms
take out,
draw,
pull,
remove,
withdraw,
pull out,
bring out
in the sense of pull
Definition
to remove or extract
Wes was in the yard pulling weeds when we drove up.