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
  • Hitler surrounded himself with sycophants, had zero tolerance for dissent and demanded unwavering loyalty.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025
  • Nobody advertises for sycophants, but often recruiting and interview processes can favor candidates who are agreeable and whose thinking doesn’t conflict with the status quo.
    Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 13 May 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
  • Yanking the rug out from under thousands of foreigners who often risked life and limb to find a safe haven in America is an unconscionable act of heartless, anti-humanitarian gall on the part of Donald Trump and his minions.
    DP Opinion, Denver Post, 9 June 2025
  • Her niftiest fight sequence looks like abstract art: a stark black-and-white aerial pan of her shadow battling minions down a hallway.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025
Noun
  • Brit Page himself has been a popular fan pick to play 007 since his breakout starring turn in the first season of Netflix/Shondaland’s Bridgerton.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 8 July 2025
  • Caitlin Clark’s presence on the Indiana Fever led to opposing teams changing venues to a larger seating capacity to host thousands more fans than usual for games.
    Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 8 July 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
  • Eating prey can be dangerous for cats, especially mice, which can carry disease, parasites and even poison.
    Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 July 2025
  • Food poisoning can be caused by viruses or parasites, but the most common culprits are bacteria such as Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Campylobacter, Listeria and Clostridium—often found on or inside animals.
    Amanda Heidt, Scientific American, 18 June 2025
Noun
  • Malaparte, by then, was making his name as one of Mussolini’s highbrow henchmen.
    Thomas Meaney, New Yorker, 2 July 2025
  • The mosasaur has henchman spinosaurs – a nice touch – while a titanosaurus couple shares a loving moment (which gets interrupted by some pesky humans).
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 2 July 2025

Cite this Entry

“Suck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suck. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.

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