puck

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈpək 

plural pucks

1

: a vulcanized rubber disk used in ice hockey

2

: something (such as a food item) that resembles a puck

It is imperative to remove the coffee puck after each brew.

—Ethan Miller

The gourmet burger revolution has swept into backyards and decks, as home cooks forgo frozen pucks of beef for fresh homemade patties.

—Eric Vellend

There are GPS pucks in all buses that track the bus.

—Tina Deetz, quoted in UWIRE Text

puck

2 of 2

noun (2)

plural pucks

1

: a mischievous sprite : hobgoblin

specifically, Puck : robin goodfellow

2

archaic : an evil spirit : demon

Synonyms

Noun (2)

• brownie
• dwarf
• elf
• faerie
• faery
• fairy
• fay
• gnome
• goblin
• gremlin
• hobgoblin
• kobold
• leprechaun
• pixie
• pixy
• sprite
• troll

Examples of puck in a Sentence

Noun (2)

dreamed that her garden was the secret meeting place of pucks and sprites

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Philadelphia’s Owen Tippett capped a 4-point night (1-3-4) by scoring on a breakaway at 3:30 of overtime, drawing Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins forward by faking a shot, only to draw back the puck and score off his backhand. —Aaron Portzline, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024

Moser left the Calgary game late in the second period after falling to the ice while chasing a loose puck along with Flames forward Nazim Kadri into the defensive end, which led to a Calgary goal. —Eduardo A. Encina, Orlando Sentinel, 20 Dec. 2024

Perhaps more concerning than the final score was an errant puck that appeared to hit mainstay defenseman Brock Faber in the face in the final minute of the game. —Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 19 Dec. 2024

The teams held a special pre-game ceremony for Johnny, with Meredith and their two kids, daughter Noa, 2, and son Johnny, who turns 1 in February, dropping the puck. —Danielle Jennings, People.com, 12 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

English dialect puck to poke, hit, probably from Irish poc butt, stroke in hurling, literally, buck (male deer)

Noun (2)

Middle English puke, from Old English pūca; akin to Old Norse pūki devil

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

puck

1 of 2 noun

ˈpək 

: a fairy or spirit who plays tricks on human beings

puck

2 of 2 noun

: a rubber disk used in ice hockey

Etymology

Noun

Old English pūca "evil spirit"

Noun

from a dialect word puck "to hit, poke," probably from Irish poc "butt, stroke in hurling," literally, "buck (male deer)"