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Glite Dictionary
to tucker out

to tucker out

7 7.7
To make someone very tired
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : agotar
  • During quiet times, when they were all tuckered out, he and his siblings basked in the sun or by the fireplace while their mother bathed them with saliva.
  • look tuckered out
  • so tuckered out
  • just tuckered out

Examples

  • "I'd ask you along, but you look plum tuckered out."

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Well, he's tuckered out from the fight.

    Year One (2009)

  • Your man looked tuckered out, -

    Cold Mountain (2003)

  • Last night I was so tuckered out I was sleeping and sleeping.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • In our house, we also find that if we provide our dog with a really good exercise session before guests arrive, he usually manages to get tuckered out.

    Blog text (10)

  • While I was a little tuckered out at the end, it was great meeting all of you and getting to hear some cool authors chat about writing what they love and loving what they write!

    Blog text (17)

  • It looks like Toxie's really tuckered out.

    Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV (2001)

  • If you're tuckered out, too, we'll be wasting everybody's time.

    Violet & Daisy (2011)

  • I'm plumb tuckered out from all that work... work... chopping.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • After running around the park with the kids, I was completely tuckered out by the end of the afternoon.

Synonyms

to exhaust
vsto tucker out
194 3.2

To make someone very tired

stresses total depletion while the key is more casual
to beat
vsto tucker out
  • Informal
64 6.0

To make someone very tired

is a general description not tied to informal slang
to tire
vsto tucker out
23 1.0

To become very tired or make someone very tired

describes the same result but with a plainer, informal tone
to wear out
vsto tucker out
19 2.7

To make a person very tired or a thing stop working by using it too much

expresses total exhaustion more directly and casually
to fatigue
vsto tucker out
11 4.6

To make someone very tired by hard work or long effort

is a simpler, more informal way to name the same exhaustion
to tire out
vsto tucker out
10 2.1

To make a person very tired by using up their energy

focuses on total exhaustion rather than the process of tiring
to tucker
vsto tucker out
  • Informal
8 9.4

To make someone very tired

is the broader neutral expression for complete exhaustion
to weary
vsto tucker out
4 4.4

To make someone or yourself very tired after long effort

is a plainer, more idiomatic way to describe full exhaustion
to overtire
vsto tucker out
3 6.8

To make someone very tired by doing too much

is more informal and less clinical in tone than this term
to run ragged
vsto tucker out
  • Informal
2 6.3

To make someone very tired by giving them too much to do

is similar but may refer to tiring in many situations
to knock the stuffing out of
vsto tucker out
  • Informal
1 8.6

To make someone feel very tired, weak, or sad

focuses only on physical exhaustion without emotional weakening
to run off someone's feet
vsto tucker out
  • UK
7.1

To make someone very busy and tired with too much work

covers exhaustion more generally, not only overload from tasks
to overtired
vsto tucker out
3.5

To make someone very sleepy from too much activity

is the casual expression for causing complete exhaustion
to overfatigue
vsto tucker out
8.4

To make someone very tired so they cannot work or think well

is less clinical and more everyday in describing deep tiredness

Antonyms

to energize
  • US
65 3.7

To make someone feel more active and alert

to revitalize
  • US
45 4.8

To give new life and energy to something

How Tired

to exhaust
194 3.2
to tucker out
  • Informal
7 7.7
to tire out
10 2.1
to tire
23 1.0

Surface Forms

tucker out infinitive
tuckered out past
tuckered out past participle
tuckering out present participle
tuckers out third person singular

Morphology

tucker + out

The verb 'tucker' (to cause tiredness) combined with the particle 'out' (indicating completion/intensification) yields a meaning that is directly compositional: to exhaust completely. This follows a common verb+particle pattern that a B1 learner who knows both constituents would be able to infer.

Etymology

The phrase tucker out likely comes from old British and Australian slang where tucker meant 'food'. After a big meal people often felt sleepy or weak, so being tuckered out came to mean 'very tired'.