chuck¹ (chŭk)
tr.v., chucked, chuck·ing, chucks.

1. To pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin.
2. 1. To throw or toss: chucked stones into the water.
   2. Informal. To throw out; discard: chucked my old sweater.
   3. Informal. To force out; eject: chucking out the troublemakers.
3. Informal. To give up; quit: chucked her job.

n.

1. An affectionate pat or squeeze under the chin.
2. A throw, toss, or pitch.

[Variant of chock, possibly from French choc, knock, blow. See shock¹.]

chuck² (chŭk)
n.

1. A cut of beef extending from the neck to the ribs and including the shoulder blade.
2. 1. A clamp that holds a tool or the material being worked in a machine such as a lathe.
   2. A clamping device for holding a drill bit.
3. Informal. Food.

[Dialectal chuck, lump, perhaps variant of CHOCK.]

chuck³ (chŭk)
intr.v., chucked, chuck·ing, chucks.
To make a clucking sound.

n.
A clucking sound.

[Middle English chukken, of imitative origin.]

---

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

---