chuck

1 of 5

verb (1)

chucked; chucking; chucks
: cluck

chuck

2 of 5

noun (1)

used as an endearment

chuck

3 of 5

verb (2)

chucked; chucking; chucks

transitive verb

1
: pat, tap
2
a
: toss, throw
b
: discard
chucked his old shirt
chuck it out with the trash
c
: dismiss, oust
used especially with out
was chucked out of office
3
: give up
chucked his job

chuck

4 of 5

noun (2)

1
: a pat or nudge under the chin
2
: an abrupt movement or toss

chuck

5 of 5

noun (3)

1
: a cut of beef that includes most of the neck, the parts about the shoulder blade, and those about the first three ribs see beef illustration
2
chiefly Western US : food
3
: an attachment for holding a workpiece or tool in a machine (such as a drill or lathe)

Examples of chuck in a Sentence

Verb (2) after the power outage we reluctantly chucked everything that had been sitting in the fridge I swear, I have half a mind to chuck this job and become a hermit! chucked a wad of paper at his friend's back Noun (3) after a long day, the cowboys lined up for some chuck
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The team is selling pieces of the goalpost, which fans ripped up and chucked into the Cumberland River. Axios Nashville, Axios, 8 Oct. 2024 Desperate to avoid a safety, Love chucked the ball away. Adam Grosbard, Orange County Register, 6 Oct. 2024 When unable to break it, Freitag ripped it open and started chucking candy into the crowd. Matthew Glowicki, The Courier-Journal, 21 Sep. 2024 To show his appreciation for the Cubs faithful, left fielder Ian Happ chucked a ball wrapped in $100 bills to the left stands on Sunday. Jamie Barton, CNN, 30 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for chuck 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chuck.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English chukken, of imitative origin

Noun (1)

perhaps from chuck chicken

Verb (2)

origin unknown

Noun (3)

English dialect chuck lump

First Known Use

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (1)

1595, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

1723, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of chuck was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near chuck

Cite this Entry

“Chuck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chuck. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

chuck

1 of 3 verb
1
: to give a pat or a tap to
chucked the child under the chin
2
: toss sense 2
let's chuck the ball around

chuck

2 of 3 noun
1
: a pat or nudge under the chin
2
: an easy throw : toss

chuck

3 of 3 noun
1
: a portion of a side of dressed beef including most of the neck and the parts around the shoulder blade and the first three ribs
2
: a device for holding work or a tool in a machine
Etymology

Verb

origin unknown

Noun

English dialect chuck "lump"

More from Merriam-Webster on chuck

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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