ruck

1
[ ruhk ]
See synonyms for: ruckruckedrucking on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a large number or quantity; mass.

  2. the great mass of undistinguished or inferior persons or things.

Origin of ruck

1
1175–1225; Middle English ruke, perhaps <Scandinavian; compare Norwegian ruka in same senses; akin to rick1

Words Nearby ruck

Other definitions for ruck (2 of 2)

ruck2
[ ruhk ]

noun
  1. a fold or wrinkle; crease.

verb (used with or without object)
  1. to make or become creased or wrinkled.

Origin of ruck

2
First recorded in 1780–90, ruck is from the Old Norse word hrukka a wrinkle

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

How to use ruck in a sentence

  • Frank joined the ruck of the demonstrators and passed through the portals of the magnificent gate.

    The Red Year | Louis Tracy
  • He's stuck up and citified, and wears gloves, and takes his meals private in his room, and all that sort of ruck.

    Gallegher and Other Stories | Richard Harding Davis
  • He shoved the doctor forward, and followed him, kicking to right and left a ruck of weapons and dbris.

    Cursed | George Allan England
  • There were so much ruck and stuff under his feet that Mayo gave up searching after a time.

    Blow The Man Down | Holman Day
  • In that riot of tempest and ruck of sea he was straining his eyes, trying to get a glimpse of the hulk on Razee.

    Blow The Man Down | Holman Day

British Dictionary definitions for ruck (1 of 4)

ruck1

/ (rʌk) /


noun
  1. a large number or quantity; mass, esp of ordinary or undistinguished people or things

  2. (in a race) a group of competitors who are well behind the leaders at the finish

  1. rugby a loose scrum that forms around the ball when it is on the ground

  2. Australian rules football the three players, two ruckmen and a rover, that do not have fixed positions but follow the ball closely

verb
  1. (intr) rugby to try to win the ball by advancing over it when it is on the ground, driving opponents backward in the process

Origin of ruck

1
C13 (meaning ``heap of firewood''): perhaps from Scandinavian; compare Old Norse hraukr rick 1

British Dictionary definitions for ruck (2 of 4)

ruck2

/ (rʌk) /


noun
  1. a wrinkle, crease, or fold

verb
  1. (usually foll by up) to become or make wrinkled, creased, or puckered

Origin of ruck

2
C18: from Scandinavian; related to Old Norse hrukka

British Dictionary definitions for ruck (3 of 4)

ruck3

/ (rʌk) /


noun
  1. prison slang a fight

Origin of ruck

3
C20: short for ruckus

British Dictionary definitions for ruck (4 of 4)

ruck4

/ (rʌk) /


noun
  1. military slang a rucksack

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