buck
/ˈbʌk/ verb C2- To bend; buckle.
- To leap upward arching its back, coming down with head low and forelegs stiff, forcefully kicking its hind legs upward, often in an attempt to dislodge or throw a rider or pack.
- To throw (a rider or pack) by bucking.
- To resist obstinately; oppose or object strongly. · The vice president bucked at the board’s latest solution.
- To move or operate in a sharp, jerking, or uneven manner. · The motor bucked and sputtered before dying completely.
- To overcome or shed (e.g., an impediment or expectation), in pursuit of a goal; to force a way through despite (an obstacle); to resist or proceed against. · The plane bucked a strong headwind.· Our managers have to learn to buck the trend and do the right thing for their employees.
- To subject to a mode of punishment which consists of tying the wrists together, passing the arms over the bent knees, and putting a stick across the arms and in the angle formed by the knees.
- To strive or aspire e.g. to a promotion.
He/she/it bucks · Past bucked · Past participle bucked · -ing form bucking
Verb forms
- Base form
- buck
- He/she/it
- bucks
- Past
- bucked
- Past participle
- bucked
- -ing form
- bucking
Phrasal verbs and expressions
From the library
Who are we, the Gidur-log [the jackal people], to pick and choose?” He scuttled to the back of the cave, where he found the bone of a buck with some meat on it, and sat cracking the end merrily.
Does he think that our buck are like his fat Waingunga bullocks?”
It is neither bullock nor buck he hunts to-night,” said Mother Wolf.
After that inspection the cubs are free to run where they please, and until they have killed their first buck no excuse is accepted if a grown wolf of the Pack kills one of them.
Other matches
Learn buck in real texts
With a free account, hover any word in the library for its meaning, hear it read aloud, save words for review timed to your memory, and see how much of each book you already know.