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

Ekblad, Reinhart and Bennett, all with the Florida Panthers, will face Draisaitl’s Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Finals, with Game 1 scheduled for an 8 p.m. puck drop Saturday at Sunrise’s Amerant Bank Arena. —Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 7 June 2024

Game 2 of the series, back at Cable Dahmer Arena, is set for Saturday night, with puck drop at 7:05 p.m. Central. —Kansas City Star, 1 June 2024

There were game pucks to be rewarded — Liz Schepers for her first goal of the season, which proved to be the game-winner, and Hensley for earning the shutout — and countless people to thank for being a part of history. —Dean Spiros, Twin Cities, 31 May 2024

That’s when Jonathan Toews took the puck at center ice against the Colorado Avalanche in the first few minutes of his fifth NHL game. —Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 6 May 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)"