suction

[ suhk-shuhn ]
See synonyms for suction on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act, process, or condition of sucking.

  2. the force that, by a pressure differential, attracts a substance or object to the region of lower pressure.

  1. the act or process of producing such a force.

verb (used with object)
  1. to draw out or remove by aspiration.

Origin of suction

1
1605–15; <Late Latin sūctiōn- (stem of sūctiō) a sucking, equivalent to Latin sūct(us) (past participle of sūgere to suck) + -iōn--ion

Other words from suction

  • suc·tion·al, adjective
  • non·suc·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for suction

suction

/ (ˈsʌkʃən) /


noun
  1. the act or process of sucking

  2. the force or condition produced by a pressure difference, as the force holding a suction cap onto a surface

  1. the act or process of producing such a force or condition

Origin of suction

1
C17: from Late Latin suctiō a sucking, from Latin sūgere to suck

Derived forms of suction

  • suctional, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for suction

suction

[ sŭkshən ]


  1. A force acting on a fluid caused by difference in pressure between two regions, tending to make the fluid flow from the region of higher pressure to the region of lower pressure.

  2. The act of reducing pressure to create such a force, as by the use of a pump or fan.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.