buck¹ (bŭk)
n.

1. 1. The adult male of some animals, such as the deer, antelope, or rabbit.
   2. Antelope considered as a group: a herd of buck.
2. 1. A robust or high-spirited young man.
   2. A fop.
3. Offensive. A Native American or Black man.
4. An act or instance of bucking: a horse that unseated its rider on the first buck.
5. 1. Buckskin.
   2. bucks Buckskin breeches or shoes.

v., bucked, buck·ing, bucks.

v.intr.

1. To leap upward arching the back: The horse bucked in fright.
2. To charge with the head lowered; butt.
3. To make sudden jerky movements; jolt: The motor bucked and lurched before it finally ran smoothly.
4. To resist stubbornly and obstinately; balk.
5. Informal. To strive with determination: bucking for a promotion.

v.tr.

1. To throw or toss by bucking: buck off a rider; bucked the packsaddle off its back.
2. To oppose directly and stubbornly; go against: "Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the country, is bucking the trend" (American Demographics).
3. Football. To charge into (an opponent's line) carrying the ball.
4. Archaic. To butt against with the head.

adj.
Of the lowest rank in a specified military category: a buck private; a buck sergeant.

phrasal verb:

buck up

1. To summon one's courage or spirits; hearten: My friends tried to buck me up after I lost the contest.

[Middle English bukke, from Old English buc, male deer, and bucca, male goat.]

bucker buck'er n.

buck² (bŭk)
n.

1. A sawhorse or sawbuck.
2. A leather-covered frame used for gymnastic vaulting.

[Alteration (influenced by BUCK¹) of Dutch bok, male goat, trestle, from Middle Dutch boc.]

buck³ (bŭk)
n. Informal

1. A dollar.
2. An amount of money: working overtime to make an extra buck.

[Short for BUCKSKIN (from its use in trade).]

buck⁴ (bŭk)
n. Games

1. A counter or marker formerly passed from one poker player to another to indicate an obligation, especially one's turn to deal.
2. Informal. Obligation to account for something; responsibility: tried to pass the buck for the failure to his boss.

tr.v. Informal, bucked, buck·ing, bucks.
To pass (a task or duty) to another, especially so as to avoid responsibility: "We will see the stifling of initiative and the increased bucking of decisions to the top" (Winston Lord).

idiom:

the buck stops here Informal.

1. The ultimate responsibility rests here.

[Short for buckhorn knife (from its use as a marker in poker).]

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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.

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