tuck, v. t. [OE. tukken, LG. tukken to pull up, tuck up, entice; akin to OD. tocken to entice, G. zucken to draw with a short and quick motion, and E. tug. See Tug.].

To draw up; to shorten; to fold under; to press into a narrower compass; as, to tuck the bedclothes in; to tuck up one's sleeves. [1913 Webster]
To make a tuck or tucks in; as, to tuck a dress. [1913 Webster]
To inclose; to put within; to press into a close place; as, to tuck a child into a bed; to tuck a book under one's arm, or into a pocket. [1913 Webster]
To full, as cloth. [1913 Webster]

tuck, v. i.

To contract; to draw together. [1913 Webster]

tuck, n.

A horizontal sewed fold, such as is made in a garment, to shorten it; a plait. [1913 Webster]
A small net used for taking fish from a larger one; -- called also tuck-net. [1913 Webster]
A pull; a lugging. Life of A. Wood. [1913 Webster]
The part of a vessel where the ends of the bottom planks meet under the stern. [1913 Webster]
Food; pastry; sweetmeats. T. Hughes. [1913 Webster]

top

OXFORD DICTIONARY

tuck, v. & n.
--v.
1 tr. (often foll. by in, up) a draw, fold, or turn the outer or end parts of (cloth or clothes etc.) close together so as to be held; thrust in the edge of (a thing) so as to confine it (tucked his shirt into his trousers; tucked the sheet under the mattress). b thrust in the edges of bedclothes around (a person) (came to tuck me in).
2 tr. draw together into a small space (tucked her legs under her; the bird tucked its head under its wing).
3 tr. stow (a thing) away in a specified place or way (tucked it in a corner; tucked it out of sight).
4 tr. a make a stitched fold in (material, a garment, etc.). b shorten, tighten, or ornament with stitched folds.
5 tr. hit (a ball) to the desired place.
--n.
1 a flattened usu. stitched fold in material, a garment, etc., often one of several parallel folds for shortening, tightening, or ornament.
2 Brit. colloq. food, esp. cakes and sweets eaten by children (also attrib.: tuck box).
3 Naut. the part of a ship's hull where the planks meet under the stern.
4 (in full tuck position) (in diving, gymnastics, etc.) a position with the knees bent upwards into the chest and the hands clasped round the shins.

Idiom

tuck in colloq. eat food heartily. tuck-in n. Brit. colloq. a large meal. tuck into (or away) colloq. eat (food) heartily (tucked into their dinner; could really tuck it away). tuck-net (or -seine) a small net for taking caught fish from a larger net. tuck shop Brit. a small shop, esp. near or in a school, selling food to children.

Etymology

ME tukke, tokke, f. MDu., MLG tucken, = OHG zucchen pull, rel. to TUG

top

THESAURUS

tuck

birr, bread, chow, crease, creasing, crimp, crisp, dog-ear, double, double over, doubling, duplicature, eats, enfold, feed, flection, flexure, flounce, flute, fold, fold over, frill, gather, go, grub, hardihood, infold, interfold, lap over, lapel, lappet, meat, moxie, pep, plait, plat, pleat, plica, plicate, plication, plicature, ply, potency, provender, quill, ruche, ruching, ruff, ruffle, scoff, turn over, twill, vigor

top

ROGET THESAURUS

tuck

Arms

N arm, arms, weapon, deadly weapon, armament, armaments, armature, panoply, stand of arms, armor, armory, apparatus belli, ammunition, powder, powder and shot, cartridge, ball cartridge, cartouche, fireball, villainous saltpeter, dumdum bullet, explosive, gunpowder, guncotton, mercury fulminate, picrates, pentaerythritol tetranitrate, PETN, high explosive, trinitrotoluene, TNT, dynamite, melinite, cordite, lyddite, plastic explosive, plastique, pyroxyline, sword, saber, broadsword, cutlass, falchion, scimitar, cimeter, brand, whinyard, bilbo, glaive, glave, rapier, skean, Toledo, Ferrara, tuck, claymore, adaga, baselard, Lochaber ax, skean dhu, creese, kris, dagger, dirk, banger, poniard, stiletto, stylet, dudgeon, bayonet, sword-bayonet, sword-stick, side arms, foil, blade, steel, ax, bill, pole-ax, battle-ax, gisarme, halberd, partisan, tomahawk, bowie knife, ataghan, attaghan, yataghan, yatacban, assagai, assegai, good sword, trusty sword, naked sword, cold steel, club, mace, truncheon, staff, bludgeon, cudgel, life preserver, shillelah, sprig, hand staff, quarter staff, bat, cane, stick, knuckle duster, billy, blackjack, sandbag, waddy, gun, piece, firearms, artillery, ordnance, siege train, battering train, park, battery, cannon, gun of position, heavy gun, field piece, mortar, howitzer, carronade, culverin, basilisk, falconet, jingal, swivel, pederero, bouche a feu, petard, torpedo, mitrailleur, mitrailleuse, infernal machine, smooth bore, rifled cannon, Armstrong gun, Lancaster gun, Paixhan gun, Whitworth gun, Parrott gun, Krupp gun, Gatling gun, Maxim gun, machine gun, pompom, ten pounder, small arms, musket, musketry, firelock, fowling piece, rifle, fusil, caliver, carbine, blunderbuss, musketoon, Brown Bess, matchlock, harquebuss, arquebus, haguebut, pistol, postolet, petronel, small bore, breach-loader, muzzle-loader, revolver, repeater, Minis rifle, Enfield rifle, Flobert rifle, Westley Richards rifle, Snider rifle, Martini-Henry rifle, Lee-Metford rifle, Lee-Enfield rifle, Mauser rifle, magazine rifle, needle gun, chassepot, wind gun, air gun, automatic gun, automatic pistol, escopet, escopette, gunflint, gun- lock, hackbut, shooter, shooting iron, six-shooter, shotgun, Uzzi, assault rifle, Kalashnikov, bow, crossbow, balister, catapult, sling, battering ram, gunnery, ballistics, missile, bolt, projectile, shot, ball, grape, grape shot, canister shot, bar shot, cannon shot, langrel shot, langrage shot, round shot, chain shot, balista, ballista, slung shot, trebucbet, trebucket, bullet, slug, stone, brickbat, grenade, shell, bomb, carcass, rocket, congreve, congreve rocket, shrapnel, mitraille, levin bolt, levin brand, thunderbolt, pike, lance, spear, spontoon, javelin, dart, jereed, jerid, arrow, reed, shaft, bolt, boomerang, harpoon, gaff, eelspear, oxgoad, weet-weet, wommerah, cattle prod, chemical mace, en flute, nervos belli pecuniam infinitam.

Fold

N fold, plicature, plait, pleat, ply, crease, tuck, gather, flexion, flexure, joint, elbow, double, doubling, duplicature, gather, wrinkle, rimple, crinkle, crankle, crumple, rumple, rivel, ruck, ruffle, dog's ear, corrugation, frounce, flounce, lapel, pucker, crow's feet, plication, folded, fluted, pleated.

VB fold, double, plicate, plait, crease, wrinkle, crinkle, crankle, curl, cockle up, cocker, rimple, rumple, flute, frizzle, frounce, rivel, twill, corrugate, ruffle, crimple, crumple, pucker, turn down, double down, down under, tuck, ruck, hem, gather.

For further exploring for "tuck" in Webster Dictionary Online