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Bucks - 16 dictionary results

Bucks

  [buhks]
Use Bucks in a Sentence
–noun
Buckinghamshire.

buck

1  [buhk]
–noun
1. the male of the deer, antelope, rabbit, hare, sheep, or goat.
2. the male of certain other animals, as the shad.
3. an impetuous, dashing, or spirited man or youth.
4. Often Disparaging. a male American Indian or black.
5. buckskin.
6. bucks, casual oxford shoes made of buckskin, often in white or a neutral color.
–adjective
7. Military. of the lowest of several ranks involving the same principal designation, hence subject to promotion within the rank: buck private; buck sergeant.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME bukke, OE bucca he-goat, bucc male deer; c. D bok, G Bock, ON bukkr; def. 5, 6 by shortening; buck private (from ca. 1870) perh. as extension of general sense “male,” i.e., having no status other than being male

buck

2  [buhk]
–verb (used without object)
1. (of a saddle or pack animal) to leap with arched back and come down with head low and forelegs stiff, in order to dislodge a rider or pack.
2. Informal. to resist or oppose obstinately; object strongly: The mayor bucked at the school board's suggestion.
3. (of a vehicle, motor, or the like) to operate unevenly; move by jerks and bounces.
–verb (used with object)
4. to throw or attempt to throw (a rider or pack) by bucking.
5. to force a way through or proceed against (an obstacle): The plane bucked a strong headwind.
6. to strike with the head; butt.
7. to resist or oppose obstinately; object strongly to.
8. Football. (of a ball-carrier) to charge into (the opponent's line).
9. to gamble, play, or take a risk against: He was bucking the odds when he bought that failing business.
10. to press a reinforcing device against (the force of a rivet) in order to absorb vibration and increase expansion.
–noun
11. an act of bucking.
—Verb phrases
12. buck for, to strive for a promotion or some other advantage: to buck for a raise.
13. buck up, to make or become more cheerful, vigorous, etc.: She knew that with a change of scene she would soon buck up.
Origin:
1855–60; verbal use of buck 1 , influenced in some senses by buck 3

buck

3  [buhk]
–noun
1. a sawhorse.
2. Gymnastics. a cylindrical, leather-covered block mounted in a horizontal position on a single vertical post set in a steel frame, for use chiefly in vaulting.
3. any of various heavy frames, racks, or jigs used to support materials or partially assembled items during manufacture, as in airplane assembly plants.
4. Also called door buck. a doorframe of wood or metal set in a partition, esp. one of light masonry, to support door hinges, hardware, finish work, etc.
–verb (used with object)
5. to split or saw (logs, felled trees, etc.).
—Verb phrase
6. buck in, Surveying, Optical Tooling. to set up an instrument in line with two marks.
Origin:
1855–60; short for sawbuck

buck

4  [buhk]
–noun
1. Poker. any object in the pot that reminds the winner of some privilege or obligation when his or her turn to deal next comes.
–verb (used with object)
2. to pass (something) along to another, esp. as a means of avoiding responsibility or blame: He bucked the letter on to the assistant vice president to answer.
—Idiom
3. pass the buck, to shift responsibility or blame to another person: Never one to admit error, he passed the buck to his subordinates.
Origin:
1860–65; short for buckhorn knife, an object which served this function

buck

5  [buhk] British Dialect
–noun
1. lye used for washing clothes.
2. clothes washed in lye.
–verb (used with object)
3. to wash or bleach (clothes) in lye.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME bouken (v.); cf. MLG buken, büken to steep in lye, MHG būchen, bruchen

buck

6  [buhk]
–verb (used without object), noun Anglo-Indian.
bukh.

buck

8  [buhk]
–noun Slang.
a dollar.
Origin:
1855–60, Americanism; perh. buck 1 in sense “buckskin”; deerskins were used by Indians and frontiersmen as a unit of exchange in transactions with merchants

Buck

  [buhk]
–noun
1. Pearl (Sy⋅den⋅strick⋅er)  [sahyd-n-strik-er] , 1892–1973, U.S. novelist: Nobel prize 1938.
2. a male given name.

Buck⋅ing⋅ham⋅shire

  [buhk-ing-uhm-sheer, -sher]
–noun
a county in S England. 501,800; 294 sq. mi. (761 sq. km).
Also called Buckingham, Bucks.

bukh

  [book] Anglo-Indian.
–verb (used without object)
1. to prate or brag.
–noun
2. small talk; prattle; bragging.
Also, buck.

Origin:
< Hindi bak talk
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Bucks
buck 1   (bŭk)   
n.  
    1. The adult male of some animals, such as the deer, antelope, or rabbit.
    2. Antelope considered as a group: a herd of buck.
    3. A robust or high-spirited young man.
    4. A fop.
    5. Buckskin.
    6. bucks Buckskin breeches or shoes.
    1. A robust or high-spirited young man.
    2. A fop.
    3. Buckskin.
    4. bucks Buckskin breeches or shoes.
  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.
    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(s):
buck upTo 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.]
buck'er n.
buck 2   (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.]
buck 3   (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).]
buck 4   (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.   bucked, buck·ing, bucks Informal
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).

[Short for buckhorn knife (from its use as a marker in poker).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Bucks

county, southeastern Pennsylvania, U.S., bordered to the east by New Jersey (the Delaware River constituting the boundary). It consists of piedmont terrain surrounded by the cities of Allentown, Pa., Trenton, N.J., and Philadelphia, Pa. In addition to the Delaware, the county is drained by Cooks, Tohickon, Neshaminy, and East Branch Perkiomen creeks. Recreational areas include Lakes Nockamixon and Galena and five state parks.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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