suck 1 of 3

informal + sometimes impolite
as in to smell
to be objectionable or unsatisfactory it's amazing that a song that sucks so bad can be so popular

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

suck (up)

2 of 3

verb (2)

1
2
as in to soak (up)
to take in (something liquid) through small openings these lilacs sucked up all the water I added to the vase yesterday

Synonyms & Similar Words

suck-up

3 of 3

noun

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of suck
Verb
Looking to give socks that don’t suck this holiday season? Outside Online, 23 Nov. 2022 Carolyn Forté, executive director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Home Appliances & Cleaning Products Lab, created a printable checklist to make sure keeping the house neat doesn't suck up endless hours of time on weekends anymore. Zee Krstic, Good Housekeeping, 22 Nov. 2022
Noun
Back in the dawn of the Trump era — just prior to his 2017 inauguration — the line of would-be suck-ups queuing up for face time with the president-elect included a man with a distinguished name. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2023 Office suck-ups, popularized by television characters like Dwight Schrute in The Office and Tom Wambsgans in Succession, typically take their cues from those in charge. Matthew Boyle, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2023 See All Example Sentences for suck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suck
Noun
  • This is not the summer Trump and his sycophants had planned.
    Philip Elliott, Time, 22 July 2025
  • He’s surrounded mostly by true believers and sycophants and able to engage somewhat freely in various forms of government dismantling and corruption.
    Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 22 July 2025
Noun
  • Such as holding court, choosing your sobriquet, and naming imbecilic lickspittles to our Kingsguard.
    Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 7 July 2024
  • What happened to the idea that art and culture should be a contemptuous refuge from the mainstream, as opposed to this lickspittle, running dog accommodation to the mainstream?
    Billboard Staff, Billboard, 3 June 2022
Noun
  • Images of toadies buttering up an emperor come to mind.
    Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 11 July 2025
  • Courtesy of Lucasfilm On an isolated farm at the outer reaches of a fascist empire, a mid-level government toady interrogates his victims.
    Jake Kleinman, Wired News, 23 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Players are asked to recruit their friends to fight the minions of the titular evil entity, the Deceiver.
    Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 9 June 2025
  • This summer has already given ample evidence of how poorly Trump and his minions understand California.
    Thomas Elias, Mercury News, 18 July 2025
Noun
  • Kia retained clunky flat-panel HVAC/audio controls that require you to push a small icon of a fan or a triangle to switch an adjoining set of flat touch points from climate to audio functions and vice versa.
    Mark Phelan, Freep.com, 26 Aug. 2025
  • The house in Philadelphia will also let fans play immersive virtual reality games as the main characters from shows including Stranger Things, Squid Game and Rebel Moon.
    Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Tacoma is Seattle’s industrial flunky, the also-ran, the perennial embarrassment.
    Caroline Fraser June 10, Literary Hub, 10 June 2025
  • Bathing in the blood of virgins is just one such regime, and god help the flunky who dares displease milady.
    Dennis Harvey, Variety, 2 May 2025
Noun
  • While the chance of people contracting the parasite in the U.S. is low, here's what to know about the New World Screwworm.
    Julia Gomez, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
  • Meanwhile, inside the lab, Kirsh and Curly are carving up a Xenomorph egg, removing a face-hugger parasite from the goop inside.
    Noel Murray, Vulture, 20 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • But things just continue to go wrong for both the brains of the operation (Al Pacino) and his henchman (John Cazale).
    Kevin Jacobsen, EW.com, 2 Aug. 2025
  • Why have a young man who looks exactly the same as the monolithic blockheads who are Perón’s followers and henchmen?
    Demetrios Matheou, HollywoodReporter, 2 July 2025

Cite this Entry

“Suck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suck. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025.

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