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sucking

sucking

36 1.5
The action of drawing liquid or air into the mouth using the lips and tongue
  • noun
  • /ˈsʌkɪŋ/
translation icon : succión
  • "The woman made a sucking sound, as if draining a drink with a straw.
  • thumb sucking
  • a child's sucking

Examples

  • The mud gave a loud sucking protest as it clung to her boot.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Wendy's boots made small sucking sounds as she followed Lando onto the lot.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The plane hummed, too; it made a loud sucking sound like it was breathing in forever.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • I think I can now identify the giant sucking sound Perot always talks about.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Suddenly, there is a loud sucking and flowing noise as water empties from the water tank.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Small frequent meals, good mouth care, or sucking lozenges may help if you experience nausea.

    Academic text (2006)
  • The largest nationality difference was for Item 98, "thumb sucking," which was scored higher for Dutch children.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Additional exposure pathways resulting from activities such as crawling, sucking, and gnawing on toys can elevate risks for children.

    Academic text (2004)
  • I've seen a horse work at a latch or a bar, sucking, nudging, and nibbling.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The doctor explained that thumb sucking can affect a child's dental health.

Synonyms

suction
vssucking
76 4.2

A force that pulls air or liquid into something, like a vacuum cleaner

describes the act done by mouth using lips and tongue instead of force
suck
vssucking
31 2.1

An action of pulling liquid or air into the mouth

emphasizes using lips and tongue rather than technical vacuum force
suckage
vssucking
9.9

The act of pulling something in with the mouth or a machine

focuses on oral action using lips and tongue rather than any machine force

Compounds

cock sucking
  • Offensive
4 9.9

An act of using the mouth to stimulate a man's penis for sexual pleasure

soul-sucking
  • Informal
2 8.5

Making you feel very tired and empty inside

1 8.2

A young pig that still drinks its mother's milk

sucking fish
  • Specialized
9.3

A fish with a flat long body and a head plate that holds on to bigger animals or boats

sucking louse
  • Specialized
9.9

A small wingless insect that lives on birds or mammals and drinks their blood

How Vigorous

gulping
3 3.3
to slurp
22 4.8
sucking
36 1.5
to sip
127 1.0

Surface Forms

sucking singular
suckings plural

Morphology

sucking = suck (transparent) = suck + ing

The noun is a straightforward gerund/nominalization of the verb 'suck' and its meaning is directly derived from the verb.

Etymology

The word sucking comes from the old English word suck, which meant 'to draw in with the mouth', and you can see the same idea in suckle and sucker. So sucking still means drawing liquid or air into the mouth (or into a machine), which is why we use it for babies feeding or a vacuum cleaner pulling up dust.