buck

¹

[ buhk ]

noun

1. the male of the deer, antelope, rabbit, hare, sheep, or goat.
2. the male of certain other animals, as the shad.
3. an impetuous, dashing, or spirited man or youth.
4. Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to an American Indian male or an African American male.
5. buckskin.
6. bucks, casual oxford shoes made of buckskin, often in white or a neutral color.

adjective

1. Military. of the lowest of several ranks involving the same principal designation, hence subject to promotion within the rank:

   buck private; buck sergeant.

buck

²

[ buhk ]

verb (used without object)

1. (of a saddle or pack animal) to leap with arched back and come down with head low and forelegs stiff, in order to dislodge a rider or pack.
2. Informal. to resist or oppose obstinately; object strongly:

   The mayor bucked at the school board's suggestion.

3. (of a vehicle, motor, or the like) to operate unevenly; move by jerks and bounces.

verb (used with object)

1. to throw or attempt to throw (a rider or pack) by bucking.
2. to force a way through or proceed against (an obstacle):

   The plane bucked a strong headwind.

3. to strike with the head; butt.
4. to resist or oppose obstinately; object strongly to.
5. Football. (of a ball-carrier) to charge into (the opponent's line).
6. to gamble, play, or take a risk against:

   He was bucking the odds when he bought that failing business.

7. to press a reinforcing device against (the force of a rivet) in order to absorb vibration and increase expansion.

noun

1. an act of bucking.

verb phrase

1. to make or become more cheerful, vigorous, etc.:

   She knew that with a change of scene she would soon buck up.

2. to strive for a promotion or some other advantage:

   to buck for a raise.

buck

³

[ buhk ]

noun

1. a sawbuck; sawhorse.
2. Gymnastics. a cylindrical, leather-covered block mounted in a horizontal position on a single vertical post set in a steel frame, for use chiefly in vaulting.
3. any of various heavy frames, racks, or jigs used to support materials or partially assembled items during manufacture, as in airplane assembly plants.
4. Also called door buck. a doorframe of wood or metal set in a partition, especially one of light masonry, to support door hinges, hardware, finish work, etc.

verb (used with object)

1. U.S. and Canadian to split or saw (logs, felled trees, etc.).

verb phrase

1. Surveying, Optical Tooling. to set up an instrument in line with two marks.

buck

⁴

[ buhk ]

noun

1. Poker. any object in the pot that reminds the winner of some privilege or obligation when their turn to deal next comes.

verb (used with object)

1. to pass (something) along to another, especially as a means of avoiding responsibility or blame:

   He bucked the letter on to the assistant vice president to answer.

buck

⁵

[ buhk ]

adverb

Informal.

1. completely; stark:

   buck naked.

buck

⁶

[ buhk ]

noun

Slang.

1. a dollar.

buck

⁷

[ buhk ]

verb (used without object)

Indian English.

1. bukh.

buck

⁸

[ buhk ]

noun

1. lye used for washing clothes.
2. clothes washed in lye.

verb (used with object)

1. to wash or bleach (clothes) in lye.

Buck

⁹

[ buhk ]

noun

1. Pearl (Sy·den·strick·er) [sahyd, -n-strik-er], 1892–1973, U.S. novelist: Nobel Prize 1938.
2. a male given name.

Buck

¹

/ bʌk /

noun

1. BuckPearl S(ydenstricker)18921973FUSWRITING: novelist Pearl S ( ydenstricker ). 1892–1973, US novelist, noted particularly for her novel of Chinese life The Good Earth (1931): Nobel prize for literature 1938

buck

²

/ bʌk /

noun

1. 1. the male of various animals including the goat, hare, kangaroo, rabbit, and reindeer
   2. ( as modifier )

      a buck antelope

2. an antelope or deer of either sex
3. informal.
   a young man
4. archaic.
   a robust spirited young man
5. archaic.
   a dandy; fop
6. the act of bucking

verb

1. intr (of a horse or other animal) to jump vertically, with legs stiff and back arched
2. tr (of a horse, etc) to throw (its rider) by bucking
3. informal.
   whenintr, often foll by against to resist or oppose obstinately

   to buck against change

   to buck change

4. informal.
   tr; usually passive to cheer or encourage

   I was very bucked at passing the exam

5. informal.
   (esp of a car) to move forward jerkily; jolt
6. to charge against (something) with the head down; butt

buck

³

/ bʌk /

noun

1. informal.
   a dollar
2. informal.
   a rand
3. a fast buck
   easily gained money
4. bang for one's buck
   See bang 1

buck

⁴

/ bʌk /

noun

1. gymnastics a type of vaulting horse
2. a stand for timber during sawing Also called (in Britain and certain other countries)sawhorse

verb

1. tr to cut (a felled or fallen tree) into lengths

buck

⁵

/ bʌk /

noun

1. poker a marker in the jackpot to remind the winner of some obligation when his turn comes to deal
2. pass the buck informal.
   to shift blame or responsibility onto another
3. the buck stops here informal.
   the ultimate responsibility lies here

Derived Forms

• ˈbucker, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of buck¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English bukke, Old English bucca “he-goat,” bucc “male deer”; cognate with Dutch bok, German Bock, Old Norse bukkr; buck ¹defs 5, 6, by shortening

Origin of buck²

First recorded in 1845–50; verbal use of buck ¹, influenced in some senses by buck ³

Origin of buck³

First recorded in 1855–60; short for sawbuck ¹

Origin of buck⁴

First recorded in 1860–65; short for buckhorn knife, used as a reminder in poker

Origin of buck⁵

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30; of obscure origin

Origin of buck⁶

An Americanism dating to 1855–60; perhaps buck ¹ in sense “buckskin” (deerskins were used by Indians and frontiersmen as a unit of exchange in transactions with merchants)

Origin of buck⁷

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb bouken; compare Middle Low German buken, büken “to steep in lye,” Middle High German būchen, German bäuchen, beuchen

Word History and Origins

Origin of buck¹

Old English bucca he-goat; related to Old Norse bukkr , Old High German bock , Old Irish bocc

Origin of buck²

C19: of obscure origin

Origin of buck³

C19: short for sawbuck

Origin of buck⁴

C19: probably from buckhorn knife , placed before a player in poker to indicate that he was the next dealer

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. pass the buck, to shift responsibility or blame to another person:

   Never one to admit error, he passed the buck to his subordinates.

More idioms and phrases containing buck

• big bucks
• fast buck
• more bang for the buck
• pass the buck

Example Sentences

Kasten saying the Dodgers accepted Trump’s invitation because the players wanted to is the kind of spineless buck passing that has become standard procedure for this front office.

From Los Angeles Times

Lightning fast deliveries bucked the global trend and became successful in India largely due to a large concentration of people staying in urban clusters.

From BBC

EU imports of this sludge appear to have risen further in 2024, according to preliminary UN trade data, although the UK appears to have bucked this trend.

From BBC

And even as diversity, equity and inclusion programs have drawn the ire of the Trump administration, gender equality remains a popular cause, giving companies an extra bang for their buck when they back women’s sports.

From Los Angeles Times

However, the fake news could not have spread so quickly if Trump adviser Elon Musk had not torpedoed the verified user system of his social media platform in the hopes of turning a buck.

From Salon

Related Words

• bull