suck

Suck is a verb with multiple senses related to suction. The core meaning is to draw a liquid, gas, or other substance into something by creating negative pressure, usually with the lips or a device. Examples include sucking through a straw, a vacuum cleaner sucking up dust, or a plant that sucks moisture from the soil. It can also describe drawing air into the lungs or mouth, as in sucking in air.

In everyday language, suck is also used to express disapproval or poor quality. The phrase that something “sucks” or is “sucking” means it is unsatisfactory or fail­ing in some way, as in “That movie sucks.” The verb forms are common: “sucks,” “sucked,” and “sucking.” Other common phrases include “to suck up” (to flatter someone to gain favor) and “to suck it up” (to endure something without complaint). The expression “to suck at [something]” means to be bad at it.

In informal or vulgar slang, suck can refer to performing oral sex on someone. This usage is considered crude and is typically found in casual speech or explicit content, not in formal writing. It is one of several slang senses that share the root idea of bringing something into one’s mouth through suction.

Etymology: Suck comes from Old English sūccan, with cognates in other Germanic languages. It has a long history of both literal and figurative uses, expanding into many idioms and colloquial expressions in modern English.