sucker

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Informal

n. someone who cannot resist a particular thing because they like it so much.

n. a person who is irresistibly attracted to or has a great weakness for a specified thing.

“I am a sucker for romantic movies and always cry at the end.”

“Despite his professional cynicism, he remained a sucker for traditional jazz and would spend hours browsing old record shops.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun

n. a part of an animal or a tool that uses suction to stick to a surface.

n. an organ or device that creates a vacuum to adhere to a surface; common in cephalopods or as a rubber attachment.

“The octopus used its suckers to grip the glass wall of the tank.”

“The industrial robot uses powerful pneumatic suckers to lift and position large sheets of glass without scratching the surface.”

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun American English · Informal

n. a piece of hard candy on a stick.

n. a piece of hard confectionery on a stick intended to be sucked or licked.

“The bank teller gave the little boy a cherry sucker after his mother finished her business.”

“The children were rewarded with colourful suckers for their good behaviour during the long car journey.”

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Cooking Technical

n. a new shoot that grows from the roots or the side of a plant's main stem.

n. a secondary shoot produced from the base or roots of a plant, often considered undesirable in cultivated species.

“You should prune the suckers from the base of the tomato plant so it grows better.”

“The gardener spent the morning removing suckers from the rose bushes to ensure the main stems received adequate nutrients.”

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Slang · Informal

n. a word used to refer to any object, especially a large or difficult one.

n. a general, emphatic term for an object or thing, often used when the specific name is forgotten or irrelevant.

“This old car is heavy, but this sucker can really move on the highway.”

“Once we get this sucker plugged in and calibrated, the whole laboratory system should be fully operational.”

C1 · Advanced Informal

v. to trick or fool someone into doing something.

v. to deceive or lure someone into a disadvantageous situation.

“They managed to sucker him into paying for the whole dinner.”

“The marketing campaign was designed to sucker unsuspecting consumers into signing up for a recurring monthly subscription.”