What does "tuck" mean?
An act of tucking; a pleat or fold.
Tuck
/tʌk/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An act of tucking; a pleat or fold.
- Grammar: tuck is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: ball position, banquet, bend, birr.
- Useful contrasts: eat slowly? nope, expose, extend.
- Usage evidence: At night, parents tuck their children into bed.
How to use "tuck"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tuck" 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 "tuck" 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 "tuck" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tuck" 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 "tuck" is acting as name, noun, verb 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 "ball position" 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.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "tuck", 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 An act of tucking; a pleat or fold. countable, uncountable
- 2 A rapier, a sword. archaic
"[…] with force he labour'd / To free's blade from retentive scabbard; / And after many a painful pluck, / From rusty durance he bail'd tuck […]"
- 3 The beat of a drum.
- 4 a straight sword with a narrow blade and two edges wordnet
- 5 A fold in fabric that has been stitched in place from end to end, as to reduce the overall dimension of the fabric piece. countable, uncountable
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 a narrow flattened pleat or fold that is stitched in place wordnet
- 7 A curled position. countable, uncountable
- 8 (sports) a bodily position adopted in some sports (such as diving or skiing) in which the knees are bent and the thighs are drawn close to the chest wordnet
- 9 A plastic surgery technique to remove excess skin. countable, uncountable
"tummy tuck"
- 10 eatables (especially sweets) wordnet
- 11 The act of keeping the thumb in position while moving the rest of the hand over it to continue playing keys that are outside the thumb. countable, uncountable
- 12 A curled position, with the shins held towards the body. countable, uncountable
- 13 The afterpart of a ship, immediately under the stern or counter, where the ends of the bottom planks are collected and terminate by the tuck-rail. countable, uncountable
- 14 Food, especially snack food. British, India, dated, uncountable
"'What on earth do Coker and his parcel of tuck matter to us? You're not thinking of snooping his tuck, I suppose, like Bunter.'"
Verb
- 1 To pull or gather up (an item of fabric). transitive
- 2 draw together into folds or puckers wordnet
- 3 To push into a snug position; to place somewhere safe, or handy, or somewhat hidden. transitive
"Tuck in your shirt. I tucked in the sheet. He tucked the $10 bill into his shirt pocket."
- 4 fit snugly into wordnet
- 5 To eat; to consume. intransitive, often
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 make a tuck or several folds in wordnet
- 7 To fit neatly. ergative
"The sofa tucks nicely into that corner."
- 8 To curl into a ball; to fold up and hold one's legs.
"The diver tucked, flipped, and opened up at the last moment."
- 9 To sew folds; to make a tuck or tucks in.
"to tuck a dress"
- 10 To full, as cloth.
- 11 Of a drag queen, trans woman, etc., to conceal one's penis and testicles, as with a gaff or by fastening them down with adhesive tape. ambitransitive
"Honey, have you tucked today? We don't wanna see anything nasty down there."
- 12 To keep the thumb in position while moving the rest of the hand over it to continue playing piano keys that are outside the thumb (when playing scales).
- 13 Ellipsis of Mach tuck. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
"Never take a first-generation Learjet past Mach 0.82; it'll tuck hard nose-down and you won't be able to pull out from the dive."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 2 A diminutive of the male given name Tucker. countable, uncountable
- 3 An unincorporated community in Daviess County, Kentucky, United States. countable, uncountable
Example
"At night, parents tuck their children into bed."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tuck"?
Common synonyms include: ball position, banquet, bend, birr, bloused, blouses.
How do you use "tuck" in a sentence?
At night, parents tuck their children into bed.
How do you pronounce "tuck"?
Pronounced /tʌk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English tuken, touken (“to torment, to stretch (cloth)”), from Old English tūcian (“to torment, vex”) and Middle Dutch tucken (“to tuck”), both from Proto-Germanic *teuh-, *teug- (“to draw, pull”) (compare also *tukkōną), from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- (“to pull”). Akin to Old High German zucchen (“to snatch, tug”), zuchôn (“to jerk”), German Low German tuken (“to tug, pluck, grab and pull towards”), Old English tēon (“to draw, pull, train”). Doublet of touch.
Etymology 2
From Old French estoc (“rapier”), from Italian stocco (“a truncheon, a short sword”). Doublet of estoc.
Etymology 3
Compare tocsin.