What does sucker mean?
A sucker is, most commonly, someone who is easily deceived or tricked. The expression is informal and often teasing or mildly insulting: calling someone a sucker suggests that they have been greedy, gullible, or easily impressed. A related but less common noun denotes an object or device that works by suction. In North American English, a sucker can also be a lollipop, while gardeners use the word for shoots arising from a plant's roots or lower stem. The word's apparently ironic association with childish pleasure has helped it become a familiar criticism of credulity: a person who cannot resist a dubious bargain, a flattering offer, or an implausible promise may consequently be called a sucker. Its usefulness as an entry lies in this blend of literal and figurative meanings, each of which is established in everyday English.
A person who is easily deceived, tricked, or exploited; also, an object that draws by suction, a lollipop, or a shoot arising from a plant's roots.
"He was a sucker for any offer that promised instant results."
The figurative sense is informal and may be teasing or derogatory. The lollipop sense is especially common in North American English.
Chiefly dialectal: to suck or draw something into the mouth.
"The calf began to sucker at its mother's teat."
This is a regional or dialectal form of “suck” and is much less common in standard contemporary English.
The plural is used for multiple deceived people, suction devices, lollipops, or plant shoots according to the intended sense.
"The tree has produced several suckers around its base."
From being born with an irresistible appetite for sweets to being fooled by an obvious lie, a sucker has long been something people—and dictionaries—associate with easy indulgence.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sucker come from?
The word comes from Old English swucor, meaning “sucker” or “one who sucks,” and is related to the Proto-Germanic root *sūganą, “to suck.” It developed independently into the familiar noun for a person who is easily deceived, as well as names for suction devices and plant shoots. The candy meaning is a separate development, based on the idea that a child sucks or melts the confection as it is eaten.
Related word forms
How sucker is actually used
The word is informal and can sound teasing, mock-sympathetic, or insulting depending on tone. In North American English it commonly means a lollipop; in British English, “sucker” also has a formally registered technical use for a suction device, while the root-growth sense is chiefly horticultural.
Easily confused with sucker
Suck is the basic verb for drawing something into the mouth or removing something by suction, whereas sucker is chiefly a noun and is also used informally for someone who is easily deceived.