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

to suck in

13 5.1
To draw someone strongly into a situation, often against their wish
  • phrasal verb
  • /sʌk ɪn/
translation icon : atraer
  • It's unfortunate that most of us will be sucked in along with you.
  • get sucked in

Kevin O'Leary, Jim Cramer, they all got sucked in.

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Examples

  • It's easy to get sucked in by social media trends and lose track of time.

  • Some people are too easily sucked in by a smiling face without seeing the ugliness behind it.

    Blog text (29)

  • Now, if you fall for it and allow yourself to be sucked in, that whole cycle is going to begin again.

    DoctorRamani

  • I was immediately sucked in and started my collection quickly.

    Blog text (9)

  • The system is a creation, and once sucked in, most believe they have no other choice.

    Blog text (9)

  • And what I didn't realize was that once you start doing that, you get sucked in and it's like it takes over your life for a while.

  • You've got me sucked in, don't hold back now.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • On the ride to the airport, we were like people skirting around quicksand, afraid to be sucked in, yet lured by curiosity.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • He promised himself that he wouldn't get sucked in by the drama at work, but it was hard to ignore.

  • Despite his better judgment, he found himself sucked in to the chaotic emotions of the group.

Synonyms

to pull
vsto suck in
779 2.0

To attract people or interest to something

is narrower, stressing a forceful attraction often against initial intent
to suck
vsto suck in
231 5.5

To pull someone in so they become involved and cannot stop

is about powerful attraction that often overrides initial intention
to suck up
vsto suck in
22 4.3

To take in liquid or information

focuses more on powerful pulling that may be against someone's intention
to pull in
vsto suck in
7 3.5

To attract people or attention

is stronger, implying attraction that can override people's choice
to draw in
vsto suck in
6 4.0

Pull air into the lungs or small things into a machine

is instead about strong attraction that can act against will

Antonyms

to dissuade
35 6.0

To try to stop someone from doing something by talking to them

to repel
21 4.2

Make someone or something move back and stay away, often by using force

How Strongly

to suck in
13 5.1
to ensnare
13 7.7
to draw in
8 3.6
to attract
991 1.9

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 picture of a strong pull, like a whirlpool or a wind that drags things toward its centre. If people or money are sucked in, they are pulled into a situation and find it hard to leave. So, it means 'to attract someone or something powerfully'.