puck

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈpək 

plural pucks

1

: a vulcanized rubber disk used in ice hockey

2

: something (such as a food item) that resembles a puck

It is imperative to remove the coffee puck after each brew.

—Ethan Miller

The gourmet burger revolution has swept into backyards and decks, as home cooks forgo frozen pucks of beef for fresh homemade patties.

—Eric Vellend

There are GPS pucks in all buses that track the bus.

—Tina Deetz, quoted in UWIRE Text

puck

2 of 2

noun (2)

plural pucks

1

: a mischievous sprite : hobgoblin

specifically, Puck : robin goodfellow

2

archaic : an evil spirit : demon

Synonyms

Noun (2)

• brownie
• dwarf
• elf
• faerie
• faery
• fairy
• fay
• gnome
• goblin
• gremlin
• hobgoblin
• kobold
• leprechaun
• pixie
• pixy
• sprite
• troll

Examples of puck in a Sentence

Noun (2)

dreamed that her garden was the secret meeting place of pucks and sprites

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Finally, when the Panthers closed to within 3-2, McDavid skated between two Panthers defenders like a swimmer through water before dishing the puck in front of the goalmouth to fourth-liner Corey Perry for a tap-in goal. —Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 19 June 2024

Matthew Tkachuk got Florida on the board 1:53 later with a quick-release finish over Skinner after Evan Rodrigues stole the puck along the boards and fed it to Tkachuk with a head of steam low in the zone. —Bailey Johnson, Washington Post, 19 June 2024

Edmonton made it 3-0 and mashed the mute button on the home fans when McDavid from an extreme side angle somehow slivered the puck by Sergei Bobrovsky. —Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 19 June 2024

Hearing commentators are not heard during the NHL ASL broadcasts, which include only sounds that would be heard in the arena such as the officials calling a penalty, blowing a whistle, skates cutting through ice, and sticks hitting pucks. —Larry Lage, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

English dialect puck to poke, hit, probably from Irish poc butt, stroke in hurling, literally, buck (male deer)

Noun (2)

Middle English puke, from Old English pūca; akin to Old Norse pūki devil

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

puck

1 of 2 noun

ˈpək 

: a fairy or spirit who plays tricks on human beings

puck

2 of 2 noun

: a rubber disk used in ice hockey

Etymology

Noun

Old English pūca "evil spirit"

Noun

from a dialect word puck "to hit, poke," probably from Irish poc "butt, stroke in hurling," literally, "buck (male deer)"