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

The center is also shooting the puck more with Svechnikov on his wing and is taking higher-quality shots, which helps explain (and adds more sustainability to) his last few games. —Shayna Goldman, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025

It’s been close to 30 years since the last puck was dropped at an NHL game here in Hartford. —Bill Field, Hartford Courant, 10 Jan. 2025

Blips abounded before a sellout crowd, both from stretches of suspect game management and poor puck luck, leaving the Ducks with one point before heading off on a season-long, six-game road trip. —Andrew Knoll, Orange County Register, 8 Jan. 2025

Colorado controlled most of the first period, but Bedard forced Samuel Girard into a turnover in the corner to the right of Miner and Ilya Mikheyev took the puck right to the net and finished with a nifty move at 16:18 to even the score at 1-1. —Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 8 Jan. 2025

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)"