tuck¹ (tŭk)

v., tucked, tuck·ing, tucks.

v.tr.

1. To make one or more folds in: tucked the pleats before sewing the hem.
2. To gather up and fold, thrust, or turn in so as to secure or confine: She tucked her scarf into her blouse.
3. 1. To put in a snug spot.
   2. To put in an out-of-the-way, snug place: a cabin that was tucked among the pines.
   3. To store in a safe spot; save: tuck away a bit of lace; tuck away millions.
4. 1. To draw in; contract: He tucked his chin into his chest.
   2. Sports. To bring (a body part) into a tuck position.

v.intr.
To make tucks.

n.

1. The act of tucking.
2. A flattened pleat or fold, especially a very narrow one stitched in place.
3. Nautical. The part of a ship's hull under the stern where the ends of the bottom planks come together.
4. Sports.
   1. A bodily position used in some sports, such as diving, in which the knees are bent and the thighs are drawn close to the chest, with the hands often clasped around the shins.
   2. A position in skiing in which the skier squats while holding the poles parallel to the ground and under the arms.
5. Chiefly British. Food, especially sweets and pastry.

phrasal verbs:

tuck away Informal. or into

1. To consume (food) heartily.

tuck in

1. To make (a child, for example) secure in bed for sleep, especially by tucking bedclothes into the bed.

[Middle English tukken, possibly from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch tocken, tucken.]

tuck² (tŭk)
n.
A beat or tap, especially on a drum.

[From Middle English tukken, to beat a drum, from Old North French toquer, to strike, from Vulgar Latin *toccāre.]

tuck³ (tŭk)
n. Archaic
A slender sword; a rapier.

[Perhaps from French dialectal étoc, from Old French estoc, of Germanic origin.]

tuck⁴ (tŭk)
n.
Energy; vigor.

[Origin unknown.]

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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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