suckered

Suckered is the past tense and past participle of the verb sucker in two principal senses. In common usage, it means deceived or duped, often with the prepositions into or by. For example, “He was suckered into buying the warranty,” or “I got suckered by that scam.” In this sense, suckered describes a person who has been tricked or an action that cheated someone.

In botany and horticulture, suckered describes plants that produce suckers—shoots that arise from the roots or base of the plant. A “suckered” plant has these additional shoots, which can influence pruning, growth form, and propagation.

Etymology: The noun and verb sucker originally referred to something or someone that sucks, or to a person who draws in fluid by suction. The figurative use meaning “a gullible person” arose in 19th-century American slang as people were said to be “sucked in” by lies or schemes. The participle suckered follows standard English derivation for past tense forms.

Usage notes: The deception sense is informal and can be mildly insulting when directed at a person. The botanical sense is technical and common in gardening contexts. The verb can take objects such as suckered into, suckered by, or be used with the ongoing process suckering.

See also: sucker, dupe, con, scam, gull, sucker (botany).