# sucker

/ˈsəkɝ/ (US) · /sˈʌkɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/sucker
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. a gullible person

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

someone who is easily tricked or fooled by others.

For teachers: a person who is easily deceived or persuaded; a gullible subject.

- He was a total sucker for that fake investment scam and lost all his savings.
- The con artist targeted the elderly, assuming they would be easy suckers for his elaborate story about a lost inheritance.

### 2. an enthusiast

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

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

For teachers: 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.

### 3. suction organ or cup

noun · CEFR B2

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

For teachers: 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.

### 4. a lollipop

noun · CEFR B1 · American English · Informal

a piece of hard candy on a stick.

For teachers: 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.

### 5. plant shoot

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

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

For teachers: 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.

### 6. an object

noun · CEFR C1 · Slang · Informal

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

For teachers: 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.

### 7. to trick

verb · CEFR C1 · Informal

to trick or fool someone into doing something.

For teachers: 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.

## Examples

- He is such a sucker for a good sales pitch.
- The scammers targeted him because they knew he was a sucker for any 'get rich quick' scheme.
- While he considered himself a hardened cynic, he remained a total sucker for classic Hollywood romances, often finding himself moved to tears by the predictable happy endings.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.