tuck1

[tuhk] /tʌk/
verb (used with object)
1.
to put into a small, close, or concealing place:
Tuck the money into your wallet.
2.
to thrust in the loose end or edge of (a garment, covering, etc.) so as to hold closely in place (usually followed by in, up, under, etc.):
Tuck in your blouse. Tuck the edge of the sheet under the mattress.
3.
to cover snugly in or as if in this manner:
She tucked the children into bed.
4.
to pull up into a fold or folds; draw up into a folded arrangement (usually followed by in, up, etc.):
to tuck up one's skirts; to tuck one's knees under one's chin.
5.
Needlework. to sew tucks in.
6.
to pass (a strand) above or below another one.
7.
Informal. to eat or drink (usually followed by in, away, etc.):
He tucked away a big meal.
verb (used without object)
8.
to draw together; contract; pucker.
9.
Needlework. to make tucks.
10.
to fit securely or snugly:
a bed that tucks into the corner.
noun
11.
something tucked or folded in.
12.
Sewing. a fold, or one of a series of folds, made by doubling cloth upon itself and stitching parallel with the edge of the fold, used for decoration or for shortening or fitting a garment.
13.
Diving, Gymnastics. a body position in which the head is lowered and the thighs held against the chest with the knees bent and the arms locked around the shins.
Compare layout (def 10), pike7 .
14.
Skiing. a crouch in which the ski poles are held close to the chest, extending back under the arms and parallel to the ground, as to maximize speed downhill.
15.
Informal. a plastic surgery operation:
a tummy tuck.
16.
Nautical. the part of a vessel where the after ends of the outside planking or plating unite at the sternpost.
17.
(in tying knots) the operation of passing one strand above or below another.
18.
British Slang. food.
Verb phrases
19.
tuck into, to eat with gusto:
We tucked into a roast beef dinner.
Origin
before 900; Middle English t(o)uken to stretch (cloth), torment, Old English tūcian to torment; akin to Middle Low German tucken to tug, German zucken to jerk. See tow1
Related forms
untucked, adjective

tuck2

[tuhk] /tʌk/
noun, Informal.
1.
tuxedo.
Origin
by shortening and respelling

tuck3

[tuhk] /tʌk/
noun, Archaic.
1.
a rapier or estoc.
Origin
1500-10; earlier tocke, apparently sandhi variant of obsolete stock sword < Italian stocco < German Stock stick; cognate with stock

tuck4

[tuhk] /tʌk/
noun, Chiefly Scot.
1.
a drumbeat or the sound of one beat on a drum.
Origin
1300-50; Middle English tukken to beat, sound (said of a drum) < Middle French (north) toker to strike, touch. See touch
Examples from the web for tuck
  • Now the zipper is able to tuck in, allowing water to drip off rather than seep in.
  • They raced nip and tuck, the flames gaining on the uphills, horse and rider picking up ground on the descents.
  • Most of those hosts tuck in the partner cells whole in crevices or pockets among host cells.
  • Here she is, bald-lifting the squeaky flap of her white rubber bathing hat to tuck out of sight strands of her livid hair.
  • Most of those hosts tuck in the partner cells whole in crevices or pockets among host cells.
  • If you are brave enough and are wearing the right pants, you might even tuck your trousers into your socks.
  • They fall forward and trip up then fall typically on a shoulder as they tuck.
  • They work better than the tickets alone, which people can tuck quietly into their pockets and pay or contest later.
British Dictionary definitions for tuck

tuck1

/tʌk/
verb
1.
(transitive) to push or fold into a small confined space or concealed place or between two surfaces: to tuck a letter into an envelope
2.
(transitive) to thrust the loose ends or sides of (something) into a confining space, so as to make neat and secure: to tuck the sheets under the mattress
3.
to make a tuck or tucks in (a garment)
4.
(usually transitive) to draw together, contract, or pucker
noun
5.
a tucked object or part
6.
a pleat or fold in a part of a garment, usually stitched down so as to make it a better fit or as decoration
7.
the part of a vessel where the after ends of the planking or plating meet at the sternpost
8.
(Brit)
  1. an informal or schoolchild's word for food, esp cakes and sweets
  2. (as modifier): a tuck box
9.
a position of the body in certain dives in which the legs are bent with the knees drawn up against the chest and tightly clasped
See also tuck away, tuck in
Word Origin
C14: from Old English tūcian to torment; related to Middle Dutch tucken to tug, Old High German zucchen to twitch

tuck2

/tʌk/
noun
1.
(archaic) a rapier
Word Origin
C16: from French estoc sword, from Old French: tree trunk, sword, of Germanic origin

tuck3

/tʌk/
noun
1.
a touch, blow, or stroke
verb
2.
(transitive) to touch or strike
3.
(intransitive) to throb or bump
Word Origin
C16: from Middle English tukken to beat a drum, from Old Northern French toquer to touch; compare tucket

Tuck

/tʌk/
noun
1.
See Friar Tuck
Word Origin and History for tuck
v.

late 14c., "to pull or gather up," earlier "to pluck, stretch" (late 13c., implied in tucker), probably from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch tucken "pull up, draw up, tug" (cognate with Old English tucian "mistreat, torment," and related to Old English togian "to pull," German zucken; see tow). Sense of "thrust into a snug place" is first recorded 1580s. Slang meaning "to consume, swallow" is recorded from 1784. The noun is first attested late 14c.

Slang definitions & phrases for tuck

tuck

Related Terms

nip and tuck


Idioms and Phrases with tuck

tuck

also see:
nip and tuck