What does euchre mean?
Euchre is a fast-paced trick-taking card game played mainly in the United States and Canada, especially the Midwest and Ontario. Typically contested by two teams of two, it uses a stripped-down deck — usually 24, 28, or 32 cards — in which the jack of the trump suit (the 'right bower') and the other same-colored jack (the 'left bower') become the highest cards. Players bid to name trump and must take at least three of the five tricks, and an opponent who stops them is said to have 'euchred' them. By extension, euchre works as an informal verb meaning to cheat or outwit someone. The game arrived in America in the early nineteenth century, likely via German immigrants, and its enduring popularity has even been credited with inspiring the Joker card. Whether at family gatherings, taverns, or tournaments, euchre remains a beloved fixture of North American social life.
A North American trick-taking card game for two to four players, played with a deck from which the low cards are removed, featuring special high-ranking jacks called bowers in the trump suit.
"Grandpa taught me to play euchre when I was only eight years old."
Usually uncountable when referring to the game itself ('a round of euchre').
To cheat, swindle, or get the better of someone by trickery; in the game itself, to prevent an opposing player who has named trumps from winning the required tricks.
"We euchred them on the final hand when they failed to make their point."
The Joker playing card may well owe its name to euchre: it was reportedly invented in the 1860s specifically as the top-ranking 'best bower' card for the game.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of euchre
Euchre emerged in the United States in the first half of the nineteenth century, and its name appears in American sources from around the 1840s. The word's ultimate origin is uncertain, though it is commonly thought to have been brought by German settlers and may relate to dialectal German terms connected to the game. The verb sense meaning 'to cheat' developed naturally from the game term, since being euchred meant being defeated by one's opponents.
How euchre is actually used
As a noun, euchre is chiefly used without an article ('play euchre'), like most game names. The verb senses are informal American usage; the cheating sense is somewhat dated but still recognized, while the gaming sense remains current among players.
Easily confused with euchre
Yucca is a genus of desert plants with sword-shaped leaves, while euchre is a card game.