Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

tuck

/tʌk/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about tuck at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Eatables (especially sweets).
(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.
A narrow flattened pleat or fold that is stitched in place.

verb

Fit snugly into.
insert your ticket into the slot
Make a tuck or several folds in.
tuck the fabric
Draw together into folds or puckers.

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word