plural bucks
1
a
informal
(1)
: dollar sense 3b
I only had a buck in my pocket.
Dinner cost twenty bucks.
(2)
: a sum of money especially to be gained
make a quick buck
b
US slang
—used in place of "hundred" in combination with other numbers
… as much at ease going 40 in First as it is doing a buck-twenty [=120 miles an hour] down the freeway …—
Hot Rod
Hot Rod2
or plural buck
: a male animal
especially
: a male deer or antelope
4
6
[short for sawbuck sawhorse]
a
: a supporting rack or frame
b
: a short thick leather-covered block for gymnastic vaulting
bucked; bucking; bucks
1
of a horse or mule
: to spring into the air with the back arched
2
: to charge against something
3
a
: to move or react jerkily
b
: to refuse assent : balk
4
: to strive for advancement sometimes without regard to ethical behavior
bucking for a promotion
1
b
archaic
: butt entry 3
2
: to throw or dislodge (a rider) by bucking
3
: to move or charge into
bucking a headwind
4
a
: to pass especially from one person to another
b
: to move or load (heavy or cumbersome objects) especially with mechanical equipment
bucker
noun
: stark, completely
buck naked
1
: responsibility
—used especially in the phrases pass the buck and the buck stops here
2
: an object formerly used in poker to mark the next player to deal
broadly
: a token used as a mark or reminder
: of the lowest grade within a military category or rank
Because he had not yet taken the Army's basic artillery course, he had to make do with a crash course from a buck sergeant … , who tutored him aboard the troopship General Walker.—Peter J. Boyer
see also buck private
Peter J. BoyerSynonyms
Examples of buck in a Sentence
Verb
the car bucked and stalled
bucked the trend to outdo everyone else and just wore the same clothes they had in previous years
Recent Examples on the WebAstha Rajvanshi, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
But the Alto Adige-South Tyrol area and its capital, Bolzano, more than any other part of the country, bucked the trend and emerged as a parallel procreation universe for Italy, with its birthrate holding steady over decades.
—Gaia Pianigiani, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024
That expansion bucks a national trend of shrinking high school classes as smaller birth cohorts move up the K-12 ladder.
—Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Mar. 2024
Yet, despite this, there are still Americans bucking the new conventional wisdom and living by ancient wisdom instead.
—Christian Schneider, National Review, 28 Mar. 2024
His willingness to buck his party put him at odds with teachers, trial lawyers and other powerful Democratic constituencies.
—Michael H. Brown, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
The Jayhawks appeared to buck that trend in the first half, not only taking 11 3s, but making seven (63.6%) of them.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 23 Mar. 2024
The Rangers are in a position to buck recent history with most of their key players returning and could become the first DFW team since the Dallas Cowboys in the 1992-93 seasons to repeat as champions.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024
But the 39-year-old Georgia native is one of the few Nashville stars willing to buck trends.
—Journal Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2024
Matt Stevens, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2024
To get the most bang for your exercise buck, your workout program should be weighted heavily in favor of these easy days.
—Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 6 Apr. 2024
To get the most bang for your buck, consider visiting in the off-season when hotel rates tend to be at their lowest.
—Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 5 Apr. 2024
Almost a hundred bucks makes this video smart lock a really nice all-in-one option for your front door.
—PCMAG, 1 Apr. 2024
Why not make a of couple bucks off your other 21st-century schizoid man?
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2024
But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue’s religious and political significance is being diminished by the thousands of refrigerator magnets and other souvenirs sold around Florence focusing on David’s genitalia.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 29 Mar. 2024
There are concerns that state and local governments are spending on mundane fixes instead of innovative projects with more bang for the buck.
—Laurent Belsie, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Mar. 2024
To get the most bang for your buck, check nannies' references.
—Becky Batcha and Hiranmayi Srinivasan, Parents, 29 Mar. 2024
Verb
While men generally report a 25% higher incidence of cancer than women globally, India bucks this trend with more women getting diagnosed with cancer, according to a study published in the Lancet Oncology.
—Astha Rajvanshi, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
But the Alto Adige-South Tyrol area and its capital, Bolzano, more than any other part of the country, bucked the trend and emerged as a parallel procreation universe for Italy, with its birthrate holding steady over decades.
—Gaia Pianigiani, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024
That expansion bucks a national trend of shrinking high school classes as smaller birth cohorts move up the K-12 ladder.
—Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Mar. 2024
Yet, despite this, there are still Americans bucking the new conventional wisdom and living by ancient wisdom instead.
—Christian Schneider, National Review, 28 Mar. 2024
His willingness to buck his party put him at odds with teachers, trial lawyers and other powerful Democratic constituencies.
—Michael H. Brown, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
The Jayhawks appeared to buck that trend in the first half, not only taking 11 3s, but making seven (63.6%) of them.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 23 Mar. 2024
The Rangers are in a position to buck recent history with most of their key players returning and could become the first DFW team since the Dallas Cowboys in the 1992-93 seasons to repeat as champions.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024
But the 39-year-old Georgia native is one of the few Nashville stars willing to buck trends.
—Journal Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2024
Noun
But economists warn that using them to do so is very expensive and offers minimal bang for your buck.
—Matt Stevens, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2024
To get the most bang for your exercise buck, your workout program should be weighted heavily in favor of these easy days.
—Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 6 Apr. 2024
To get the most bang for your buck, consider visiting in the off-season when hotel rates tend to be at their lowest.
—Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 5 Apr. 2024
Almost a hundred bucks makes this video smart lock a really nice all-in-one option for your front door.
—PCMAG, 1 Apr. 2024
Why not make a of couple bucks off your other 21st-century schizoid man?
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2024
But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue’s religious and political significance is being diminished by the thousands of refrigerator magnets and other souvenirs sold around Florence focusing on David’s genitalia.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 29 Mar. 2024
There are concerns that state and local governments are spending on mundane fixes instead of innovative projects with more bang for the buck.
—Laurent Belsie, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Mar. 2024
To get the most bang for your buck, check nannies' references.
—Becky Batcha and Hiranmayi Srinivasan, Parents, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'buck.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near buck
Cite this Entry
“Buck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buck. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
buck
1 of 4 noun
plural bucks
1
or plural buck
: a male animal
especially
: a male deer or antelope
2
b
3
a
b
: a sum of money especially to be gained
make a quick buck
buck
2 of 4 verb1
a
: to spring into the air with the back arched
a bucking horse
b
: to throw (as a rider) by bucking
2
: to move or act against the action of
bucking a storm
buck a trend
3
: to move or start jerkily
bucker
noun
buck
3 of 4 noun
: an act or instance of bucking
buck
4 of 4 noun
: responsibility
pass the buck
Etymology
Noun
short for buckhorn knife, formerly used in poker to mark the next player to deal
Biographical Definition
Buck
2 of 2biographical name (2)
Pearl 1892–1973 née
Sydenstricker
ˈsī-dᵊn-ˌstri-kər 
American novelist
American novelist
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