suck
part of speech
verb (suck, sucks, sucked, sucking)
meaning for a pupil
1) To suck is to pull liquid or air into your mouth by tightening your lips and cheeks, as through a straw. tree →
2) To suck something, like a sweet or your thumb, is to keep it in your mouth and move your tongue and lips around it. tree →
3) To suck something in or up is to pull it with force, as a vacuum cleaner does. tree →
4) (Informal, a bit rude) Something «sucks» if it is bad or unpleasant. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: "Give children suck" means to nurse babies, as with Sarah's surprise at nursing a baby in old age. "Suck" is also used for drinking in or taking in something, such as the sea's abundance or a snake's poison, and for a baby drinking at its mother's breast. Interpretation: The rabbis said that Sarah's miracle was so great that many women brought their babies to be nursed by her. Her nursing Isaac was taken as proof that he was truly her son. Job's cry about the breasts he might have sucked is read as his deep grief at his suffering. In the primary lessons: In science, a vacuum cleaner sucks up dust by making lower air pressure inside; in nature, mosquitoes suck blood and bees suck nectar; babies suck milk. In safety, strong water currents and drains can suck swimmers or hair in — keep away from pool drains and rip currents. Phrases: «suck through a straw», «suck your thumb», «suck up», «suck in», «sucked in» (tricked, Australian).
examples
- And she said: 'Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should give children suck? for I have borne him a son in his old age.' (Torah GEN.21.7, JPS 1917) tree →
- They shall call peoples unto the mountain; there shall they offer sacrifices of righteousness; for they shall suck the abundance of the seas, and the hidden treasures of the sand. (Torah DEU.33.19, JPS 1917) tree →
- And he said unto him: 'My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and that the flocks and herds giving suck are a care to me; and if they overdrive them one day, all the flocks will die. (Torah GEN.33.13, JPS 1917) tree →
- And wherefore the breasts, that I should suck? (Writings JOB.3.12, JPS 1917) tree →
- He shall suck the poison of asps; the viper's tongue shall slay him. (Writings JOB.20.16, JPS 1917) tree →
- Oh that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! (Writings SNG.8.1, JPS 1917) tree →
- He sucked his drink through a straw. tree →
- The baby sucks her thumb when she's tired. tree →
- The vacuum cleaner sucked up the crumbs. tree →
- A mosquito sucks blood. tree →
- Bees suck nectar from flowers. tree →
- Don't suck on pencils; it's not clean. tree →
- Strong currents can suck swimmers out to sea. tree →
- Suck in your tummy for the photo. tree →
- But generally he sucks the blood of sleepers. tree →
note
Regular verb: sucked. The informal «it sucks» is slang and impolite in class; say «it's bad» or «that's a pity». Do not confuse «suck» with «sock». A straw works because sucking lowers the air pressure in your mouth and the air pushes the liquid up.
In the corpora
- Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?
- From following the ewes that give suck He brought him, to be shepherd over Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance.
- And wherefore the breasts, that I should suck?
- He shall suck the poison of asps; the viper's tongue shall slay him.
- Her young ones also suck up blood; and where the slain are, there is she.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «suck» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.