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

In bandy, athletes on ice skates use curved sticks to try to shoot a small ball (not a puck) into the other team's net. —Rachel Treisman, NPR, 6 Feb. 2026

Gatcomb fired the puck to the slot, where Kyle MacLean got a stick on it, tipping it to Cizikas. —CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026

The arena is about three-quarters full for this noon puck drop. —Jared Perlo, NBC news, 5 Feb. 2026

McAvoy was moving the puck through the neutral zone and after passing it, Sandis Vilmanis delivered a clear cheap shot that knocked McAvoy to the ice. —Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 5 Feb. 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)"