# tucker

/ˈtəkɝ/ (US) · /tˈʌkɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/tucker
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. to tire out

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal · American English

to make someone or something very tired.

For teachers: to exhaust or weary a person or animal. Usually used in the passive voice or as a past participle.

- The long hike up the mountain really tuckered the kids out.
- By the time we reached the summit, the steep incline and humid air had completely tuckered out even the most experienced climbers in our group.

Usage: Almost always used with the particle 'out'.

### 2. food

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal · Dialect

a casual word for food.

For teachers: food or rations. This sense is uncountable and specific to certain regional dialects.

- After a long day of working on the farm, we were ready for some good tucker.
- The station hands gathered around the campfire, grateful for the hot tucker prepared after a grueling day of mustering cattle across the outback.

Teaching tip: This sense is highly characteristic of Australian and New Zealand English; using it elsewhere may sound out of place or like an imitation.

### 3. clothing piece

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Literary

a piece of lace or cloth that women used to wear around the neck of a dress.

For teachers: a piece of lace or linen worn by women in the 17th to 19th centuries to cover the neck and shoulders.

- The lady in the old painting wore a delicate lace tucker over her silk gown.
- The portrait depicts a merchant's wife in modest attire, her dark bodice contrasted by a finely embroidered white tucker.

Usage: Usually encountered in historical novels or descriptions of period costumes.

## Examples

- We stopped by the river for some tucker.
- After a long day of hiking through the bush, the group was grateful for some hot tucker by the campfire.
- The local pub is famous for serving traditional tucker that reminds the older residents of the meals their grandparents used to prepare on the stations.

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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.