What does "pucker" mean?
A fold or wrinkle.
Pucker
/ˈpʌkə(ɹ)/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A fold or wrinkle.
- Grammar: pucker is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abbreviate, agitation, all overs, all-overs.
- Useful contrasts: evenness, flatness, flatten.
- Usage evidence: "Mary's lemon pie will make you pucker up and implode," said Tom.
How to use "pucker"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "pucker" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "pucker" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "pucker" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "pucker" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "pucker" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abbreviate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "pucker", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A fold or wrinkle.
"The mouth was compressed, and on either side of it two tiny wrinkles had formed themselves in her cheeks. An infinity of slightly malicious amusement lurked in those little folds, in the puckers about the half-closed eyes, in the eyes themselves, bright and laughing between the narrowed lids."
- 2 an irregular fold in an otherwise even surface (as in cloth) wordnet
- 3 A state of perplexity or anxiety; confusion; bother; agitation. colloquial
"What a pucker everything is in!" said Bathsheba, discontentedly when the child had gone. "Get away, Maryann, or go on with your scrubbing, or do something! You ought to be married by this time, and not here troubling me!""
- 4 The anus. slang
"[…]she felt a pressure at her asshole, a cock pressing against her pucker, trying to slide in."
Verb
- 1 To pinch or wrinkle (especially a body part); to squeeze inwardly, to dimple or fold. ambitransitive
"Now the skin was puckered into a million wrinkles, and on the shapeless face was the stamp of unutterable age."
- 2 to gather something into small wrinkles or folds wordnet
- 3 become wrinkled or drawn together wordnet
- 4 draw together into folds or puckers wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
""Mary's lemon pie will make you pucker up and implode," said Tom."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "pucker"?
Common synonyms include: abbreviate, agitation, all overs, all-overs, angst, anxiety.
How do you use "pucker" in a sentence?
"Mary's lemon pie will make you pucker up and implode," said Tom.
How do you pronounce "pucker"?
Pronounced /ˈpʌkə(ɹ)/.
Etymology
Origin obscure. Perhaps continuing Middle English pukkeren (“to hoard, save”, literally “to sack, stow away in a poke or bag”) with a change in meaning (compare purse (“to pucker”)). Alternatively, perhaps a direct alteration of poke (verb, or the noun meaning "a small bag"). By surface analysis, poke + -er.