to buck

Examples

• All

• Incidents of detainee-on-detainee violence spiked; hardliners meted out physical punishment to those who bucked their rules.

  Academic text (2009)

• I need you to buck up, Sable.

  Tag (2018)

• So I, I decided to buck the plan again.

  Shawn Ryan Show

• There are some people who really buck this trend.

• Suppose an agency wants to go against the legislative history or wants to buck the statutory text.

  Academic text (1997)

• You can buck the system, but you can't buck the dark forces that lie hidden beneath the surface.

  Drugstore Cowboy (1989)

• All greatness comes out of bucking the way of least resistance, which is human nature to follow.

  Fiction book (1993)

• Only Colombia, Paraguay, and Uruguay bucked the regional trend by recording declines in inequality.

  Academic text (2000)

• The students decided to buck tradition and organize their own graduation ceremony.

• He consistently buck the expectations of his peers with innovative ideas.

Synonyms

G

to go against

vsto buck

206 3.3

To act against a rule, law, or popular opinion

resists broader directions, expectations, or authority rather than formal rules

Antonyms

S

to submit

187 4.1

To accept another person's control, often against your wishes

Idioms

B

bang for the buck

• US

7 4.4

A good value for the money you spend

S

to save a buck

• Informal

2 6.4

Spend less money than usual when you buy something

B

to break the buck

• Literature

9.8

A money market fund's share price falls below one dollar

B

breaking the buck

• US

9.9

A loss for investors that happens when a money market fund's share falls below one dollar

B

to buck up your ideas

• UK

9.2

Try harder and make your work and attitude better

Phrasal Verbs

B

to buck up

• Informal

14 6.3

To become or make someone more cheerful and confident

B

to buck for

• Archaic

9 8.2

To try hard to get praise or a promotion from someone like a boss

B

to buck the trend

3 6.9

To do something different from what most people do

Compounds

Y

young buck

• Slang

9 7.9

A young man who is full of energy and wants to prove himself

Q

quick buck

• Informal

9 5.3

Money made quickly, often with little work or by dishonest ways

F

fast buck

• Slang

3 7.9

Money earned quickly, often by dishonest or easy ways

B

buck private

• Archaic

1 8.2

A soldier with the lowest rank in the US Army or Marines

B

buck sergeant

• Archaic

1 8.2

A low-ranking soldier who leads a small group in the army or Marines

B

buck-and-wing

• Archaic

1 9.9

A lively solo tap dance with fast, energetic footwork

B

buck-passing

1 7.1

Act of putting blame on others to avoid doing a job you should do

B

black buck

• Indian

8.7

An antelope with a dark back and spiral horns that lives in India

B

buck fever

• Jargon

9.6

A nervous feeling a beginner hunter has when they see an animal

B

buck-passing culture

7.9

A workplace culture where people avoid responsibility by blaming others

How Resistant

to rebel

48 4.1

to defy

178 3.7

to buck

45 6.7

to oppose

∞ 2.9

Surface Forms

Etymology