ruck.
A throng or crowd of people or things; a mass, a pack.
Meaning & usage
A throng or crowd of people or things; a mass, a pack.
In Australian rules football A contest in games in which the ball is thrown or bounced in the air and two players from opposing teams attempt to give their team an advantage, typically by tapping the ball to a teammate.
In Australian rules football A player who competes in said contests; a ruckman or ruckwoman.
In Australian rules football Either of a ruckman or a ruck rover, but not a rover.
In Australian rules football Any one of a ruckman, a ruck rover or a rover; a follower.
The situation formed when a player carrying the ball is brought to the ground and one or more members of each side are engaged above the ball, trying to win possession of it; a loose scrum.
The common mass of people or things; the ordinary ranks.
An argument or fight.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English ruke, from or related to Old Norse hraukr, which is from Proto-Germanic *hraukaz (“haystack, heap”). Compare Icelandic hrúka, Swedish ruka.
To act as a ruck in a stoppage in Australian rules football.
To contest the possession of the ball in a ruck.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English ruke, from or related to Old Norse hraukr, which is from Proto-Germanic *hraukaz (“haystack, heap”). Compare Icelandic hrúka, Swedish ruka.
To crease or fold.
To become creased or folded.
Where this word comes from
1780, from Old Norse hrukka (“wrinkle, crease”), from Proto-Germanic *hrunkijō, *hrunkitō (“fold, wrinkle”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to turn, bend”). Akin to Icelandic hrukka (“wrinkle, crease, ruck”), Old High German runza (“fold, wrinkle, crease”), German Runzel (“wrinkle”), Middle Dutch ronse (“frown”). More at frounce. Possibly related to Irish roc.
A crease, a wrinkle, a pucker, as on fabric.
Where this word comes from
1780, from Old Norse hrukka (“wrinkle, crease”), from Proto-Germanic *hrunkijō, *hrunkitō (“fold, wrinkle”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to turn, bend”). Akin to Icelandic hrukka (“wrinkle, crease, ruck”), Old High German runza (“fold, wrinkle, crease”), German Runzel (“wrinkle”), Middle Dutch ronse (“frown”). More at frounce. Possibly related to Irish roc.
To cower or huddle together; to squat; to sit, as a hen on eggs.
Where this word comes from
Compare Danish ruge (“to brood, to hatch”), itself related to Proto-Germanic *hraukaz (“heap, stack”).
A rucksack; a large backpack.
Where this word comes from
Clipping of rucksack.
To carry a backpack while hiking or marching.
Where this word comes from
Clipping of rucksack.
A small heifer.
Obsolete form of roc.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.