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Glite Dictionary
😮‍💨 To breathe in 🧲 To attract strongly 🧠 To absorb
to suck in

to suck in

13 3.7
To pull air or liquid into something by making an empty space inside
  • phrasal verb
  • /sʌk ɪn/
translation icon : aspirar
  • The monstrous throat was coming closer, consuming the mall, sucking in the people.
  • suck in breath
  • suck in air
  • suck in water

And what happens there is you suck in, but you're not actually sucking into your lungs at that point.

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Examples

  • When the diver prepared to jump, he sucked in his breath to steady himself.

  • I took deep breath after deep breath, trying to suck in some sanity.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The hand on her shoulder broke her concentration and caused her to suck in her breath.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • I take a deep breath, suck in my stomach, and squeeze through the small crack in the gate.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Remember?" Yip's mouth fell open again as his eyes grew wide and he sucked in a quick breath.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Filled with frustration, I sucked in my breath and swallowed back my tears.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • I've seen waterspouts taller and thicker than oak trees, and whirlpools that could suck in half a dozen ships.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • During the experiment, the vacuum cleaner sucked in all the small pieces of paper from the floor.

  • As the door closed behind him, the wind sucked in his hat, leaving it outside.

Synonyms

to suck
vsto suck in
337 1.0

To pull liquid into the mouth, for example with a straw

pulls substances inward by making a partial vacuum in a space
to inhale
vsto suck in
84 2.7

To breathe in air, smoke, or gas into your lungs

applies more broadly to any substance drawn into a space, not only lungs
to breathe in
vsto suck in
54 1.0

To take air into your lungs through your nose or mouth

is general inward pulling for spaces, not limited to lungs
to draw
vsto suck in
42 4.1

Breathe in air or smoke

is broader, applying to any inward movement caused by a vacuum
to suck up
vsto suck in
22 4.3

To take in liquid or information

is literal mechanical inward pulling rather than figurative absorption
to drag
vsto suck in
12 8.1

To breathe in air or smoke strongly

is general suction not necessarily forceful or cigarette specific
to draw in
vsto suck in
6 4.0

Pull air into the lungs or small things into a machine

focuses on creating a partial vacuum to bring substances inward

Antonyms

to release
∞ 1.8

To let someone or something go free from being held

to push out
16 3.2

To move something outward using force

How Strongly

to hoover up
  • UK
1 4.3
to suck in
13 3.7
to draw in
6 4.0

Surface Forms

suck in infinitive
sucked in past
sucked in past participle
sucking in present participle
sucks in third person singular

Morphology

suck + in

The sense 'to attract or pull someone into something' follows directly from combining 'suck' (to pull/attract) with the directional particle 'in' (into), so a learner who knows both words can infer the figurative meaning. This inward-pulling metaphor is straightforward and common cross-linguistically, making the expression immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Suck in comes from the simple image of taking a deep breath or using a vacuum that pulls air and small things inside. When you suck something in, you make a space that draws it inward. So, it means 'to draw something inwards'.