puck

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈpək 

plural pucks

1

: a vulcanized rubber disk used in ice hockey

2

: something (such as a food item) that resembles a puck

It is imperative to remove the coffee puck after each brew.

—Ethan Miller

The gourmet burger revolution has swept into backyards and decks, as home cooks forgo frozen pucks of beef for fresh homemade patties.

—Eric Vellend

There are GPS pucks in all buses that track the bus.

—Tina Deetz, quoted in UWIRE Text

puck

2 of 2

noun (2)

plural pucks

1

: a mischievous sprite : hobgoblin

specifically, Puck : robin goodfellow

2

archaic : an evil spirit : demon

Synonyms of puck

Noun (2)

• fairy
• elf
• goblin
• faerie

Examples of puck in a Sentence

Noun (2)

dreamed that her garden was the secret meeting place of pucks and sprites

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But their 20th shot counted when Foligno – playing in his first game back after missing 14 of the previous 16 games – slipped a low shot past the goalie after linemate Yakov Trenin had fought off a challenge from a Florida defender to get Foligno the puck. —Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 27 Mar. 2026

In overtime with time winding down, Holloway picked up a loose puck to the left of the Sharks’ net, skated toward the crease in front of a trailing Celebrini, and beat goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, roofing a backhand shot to send San Jose to its sixth straight loss (0-5-1). —Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026

Sorokin was locked in from the drop of the puck, denying Colin Blackwell on a shorthanded breakaway 10 minutes in and making a handful of other 10-bell saves on quality scoring chances in the first period alone. —CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026

Montour picked up the puck from Shane Wright and beat Vasilevskiy to keep Seattle in the playoff race in the Western Conference. —ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

English dialect puck to poke, hit, probably from Irish poc butt, stroke in hurling, literally, buck (male deer)

Noun (2)

Middle English puke, from Old English pūca; akin to Old Norse pūki devil

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for puck

• chuck
• cluck
• duck
• huck
• luck
• muck
• pluck
• ruck
• schmuck
• shuck
• snuck
• struck

Kids Definition

puck

1 of 2 noun

ˈpək 

: a fairy or spirit who plays tricks on human beings

puck

2 of 2 noun

: a rubber disk used in ice hockey

Etymology

Noun

Old English pūca "evil spirit"

Noun

from a dialect word puck "to hit, poke," probably from Irish poc "butt, stroke in hurling," literally, "buck (male deer)"