1
: the act or process of sucking
2
a
: the act or process of exerting a force upon a solid, liquid, or gaseous body by reason of reduced air pressure over part of its surface
b
: force so exerted
3
: a device (such as a pipe or fitting) used in a machine that operates by suction
suctioned; suctioning; suctions
: to remove (as from a body cavity or passage) by suction
Examples of suction in a Sentence
Noun
The vacuum cleaner picks up dirt by suction.
The octopus grasps things using suction.
a vacuum cleaner with enough suction to pick up the heaviest particles of dirt
Verb
The surgeon will suction blood out of the area.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ho Lin, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2025
From the physical dustbin size to the strong suction power, this handheld is equal by most metrics to Dyson’s pricier, full-sized stick vacs.
—Miles Walls, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Feb. 2025
Clara McMahon, People.com, 9 Oct. 2024
Human subjects whose mouths were attached to gustatory apparatuses that suctioned out oral cavity fluids and delivered aqueous solutions of Korean hot sauce and Hershey’s hot-chocolate powder exhibited the activation of overlapping as well as distinct brain regions in response to pleasure and pain.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 2 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for suction
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Noun
Its 3000Pa of suction power is more than enough for most everyday vacuum jobs.
—Ho Lin, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2025
From the physical dustbin size to the strong suction power, this handheld is equal by most metrics to Dyson’s pricier, full-sized stick vacs.
—Miles Walls, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Feb. 2025
Verb
This powerful carpet cleaner swiftly suctions up messes and scrubs them clean in one fell swoop, no manual labor required.
—Clara McMahon, People.com, 9 Oct. 2024
Human subjects whose mouths were attached to gustatory apparatuses that suctioned out oral cavity fluids and delivered aqueous solutions of Korean hot sauce and Hershey’s hot-chocolate powder exhibited the activation of overlapping as well as distinct brain regions in response to pleasure and pain.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 2 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for suction
Cite this Entry
“Suction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suction. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
suction
1 of 2 noun
suc·tion
ˈsək-shən 
1
: the act or process of sucking
2
a
: the act or process of exerting a force upon a solid, liquid, or gaseous body by reason of reduced air pressure over part of its surface
b
: force so exerted
3
: the act or process of removing secretions or fluids from hollow or tubular organs or cavities by means of a tube and a device (as a suction pump) that operates on negative pressure
suction
2 of 2 transitive verb
: to remove from a body cavity or passage by suction
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