puckered; puckering
ˈpə-k(ə-)riŋ 
: to become wrinkled or constricted
: to contract into folds or wrinkles
: a fold or wrinkle in a normally even surface
Examples of pucker in a Sentence
Verb
His skin puckered a little around the scar.
Recent Examples on the Web
India Espy-Jones, Essence, 17 Nov. 2023
The narrowing of the blood vessels causes the overall volume of skin to reduce, puckering the skin into these distinct wrinkle patterns.
—Guy German, Binghamton University, Discover Magazine, 31 Aug. 2023
In the years after the disease was first discovered, scientists had no idea what was causing the beech tree leaves to develop dark green bands and then to curl and pucker.
—Rich Schapiro, NBC News, 6 Aug. 2023
The damage consists of a slight marbling of red and green on the back of fresh new foliage, and sometimes there is a slight crinkling, curling or puckering in the new foliage.
—Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Aug. 2023
But the fit isn’t perfect, and some of those cage straps look puckered along the model’s curves.
—Lauren Puckett-Pope, ELLE, 28 July 2023
The first selfie shows the couple casually showing off some subtle PDA, with Chopra resting her arm around Jonas’s shoulders and puckering her lips into a kissing face at him.
—Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 15 June 2023
The whistler may pucker the lips, finger whistle, or blow into a leaf or a simple wood flute.
—Julien Meyer, Scientific American, 22 Nov. 2016
Ariel is the one who leans in and puckers her lips, but Eric is too nervous.
—Barry Levitt, Rolling Stone, 27 May 2023
Theresa Holland, Travel + Leisure, 26 Oct. 2023
Plus, its leather material makes for a supple, shiny surface that catches the light with every pleat and pucker.
—Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 8 Aug. 2023
The fish, rubbed with turmeric and Aleppo pepper, arrives in a dark-green moat created from fish stock, garlic, cilantro and fenugreek leaves, along with tamarind for pucker.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 4 Aug. 2023
Grape juice gives a hint of sweet pucker, while mint and feta add fresh, savory flavor.
—Sheena Chihak, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 July 2023
To instantly pump up the volume on their puckers, stars and celebrity makeup artists look to some of the best lip plumpers and pout-boosting lipsticks as a painless, needle-free alternative to lip filler.
—Ingrid Schmidt, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 June 2023
The actor Jharrel Jerome shows us Cootie’s trepidation by always playing him small, tilting his head against his shoulder, collapsing his frame inward, his lips in an expectant pucker.
—Phillip MacIak, New York Times, 19 June 2023
These complications included infection, hematoma (the accumulation of fluid), and aesthetic issues, such as partial nipple graft loss and dog ears (where excess skin or fat puckers at the end of an incision).
—H Conley, STAT, 2 June 2023
Best Lipstick Bobbi Brown Luxe Lipstick $40 at Sephora$34 at Nordstrom$40 at Bloomingdale's Credit: sephora.com Not only is every one of the 36 shades flattering on all skin tones (yes, really), but this lipstick stays put for up to 10 hours while keeping your pucker moisturized.
—Women's Health, 9 May 2023
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Verb
Back in the ‘80s, portraits of young Moon captured her beauty in the most natural light: pillow-soft curls, full eyebrows, and puckered lips.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 17 Nov. 2023
The narrowing of the blood vessels causes the overall volume of skin to reduce, puckering the skin into these distinct wrinkle patterns.
—Guy German, Binghamton University, Discover Magazine, 31 Aug. 2023
In the years after the disease was first discovered, scientists had no idea what was causing the beech tree leaves to develop dark green bands and then to curl and pucker.
—Rich Schapiro, NBC News, 6 Aug. 2023
The damage consists of a slight marbling of red and green on the back of fresh new foliage, and sometimes there is a slight crinkling, curling or puckering in the new foliage.
—Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Aug. 2023
But the fit isn’t perfect, and some of those cage straps look puckered along the model’s curves.
—Lauren Puckett-Pope, ELLE, 28 July 2023
The first selfie shows the couple casually showing off some subtle PDA, with Chopra resting her arm around Jonas’s shoulders and puckering her lips into a kissing face at him.
—Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 15 June 2023
The whistler may pucker the lips, finger whistle, or blow into a leaf or a simple wood flute.
—Julien Meyer, Scientific American, 22 Nov. 2016
Ariel is the one who leans in and puckers her lips, but Eric is too nervous.
—Barry Levitt, Rolling Stone, 27 May 2023
Noun
This baby steamer works quickly to smooth creases and eliminate puckers from fabrics, and the long power cord provides flexibility when outlets are scarce.
—Theresa Holland, Travel + Leisure, 26 Oct. 2023
Plus, its leather material makes for a supple, shiny surface that catches the light with every pleat and pucker.
—Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 8 Aug. 2023
The fish, rubbed with turmeric and Aleppo pepper, arrives in a dark-green moat created from fish stock, garlic, cilantro and fenugreek leaves, along with tamarind for pucker.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 4 Aug. 2023
Grape juice gives a hint of sweet pucker, while mint and feta add fresh, savory flavor.
—Sheena Chihak, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 July 2023
To instantly pump up the volume on their puckers, stars and celebrity makeup artists look to some of the best lip plumpers and pout-boosting lipsticks as a painless, needle-free alternative to lip filler.
—Ingrid Schmidt, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 June 2023
The actor Jharrel Jerome shows us Cootie’s trepidation by always playing him small, tilting his head against his shoulder, collapsing his frame inward, his lips in an expectant pucker.
—Phillip MacIak, New York Times, 19 June 2023
These complications included infection, hematoma (the accumulation of fluid), and aesthetic issues, such as partial nipple graft loss and dog ears (where excess skin or fat puckers at the end of an incision).
—H Conley, STAT, 2 June 2023
Best Lipstick Bobbi Brown Luxe Lipstick $40 at Sephora$34 at Nordstrom$40 at Bloomingdale's Credit: sephora.com Not only is every one of the 36 shades flattering on all skin tones (yes, really), but this lipstick stays put for up to 10 hours while keeping your pucker moisturized.
—Women's Health, 9 May 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pucker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
Verb
1598, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Noun
1598, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing pucker
Dictionary Entries Near pucker
Cite this Entry
“Pucker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pucker. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on pucker
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for pucker
Nglish: Translation of pucker for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of pucker for Arabic Speakers
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