Definition

1. Noun:

   • A wrinkle or fold in a piece of fabric or other material: An irregular fold or crease that forms on an otherwise smooth surface, such as cloth.
   • The main group of competitors in a race who are not at the front: In sports like cycling or running, the main body of participants who are not the leaders.
   • A crowd of ordinary or undistinguished people or things: A large, unremarkable group.

2. Verb:

   • To form wrinkles or folds: To become gathered or drawn together into wrinkles or creases.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • She smoothed out the ruck in the tablecloth. (She removed the wrinkle from the tablecloth.)
  • He got stuck in the ruck and couldn't break away from the other cyclists. (He was trapped in the main pack of cyclists.)
  • Her talent lifted her out of the ruck of ordinary singers. (Her talent distinguished her from the crowd of average singers.)

• Verb:

  • The fabric began to ruck up at the shoulders. (The fabric started to wrinkle and gather at the shoulders.)
  • His shirt had rucked uncomfortably under his backpack. (His shirt had become wrinkled and bunched up under his backpack.)

Advanced Usage

• "To ruck up": To become gathered or wrinkled, often in an untidy way.
  • The carpet had rucked up near the door, creating a tripping hazard.
• "In the ruck": Being part of the main, undistinguished group in a competition or situation.
  • For years, the company's products were lost in the ruck, but a new design finally made them stand out.

Variants and Related Words

• Ruckle (verb/noun): A less common variant meaning to wrinkle or a wrinkle.
  • He ruckled the paper in his fist.
• Rucked (adjective): Describing something that is wrinkled or gathered.
  • The rucked sheets needed to be straightened.

Synonyms

• Noun (fold): Crease, wrinkle, pucker, gather.
• Noun (crowd): Mass, pack, herd, multitude, throng.
• Verb: Wrinkle, crease, pucker, gather, crumple.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Ruck up: To form into wrinkles or gathers; to become bunched together.
  • Make sure your socks don't ruck up inside your boots.

Related Idioms

• "A ruck of": A large, often unorganized group of something.
  • He sorted through a ruck of old papers on the desk.
• "Raise/Lift someone above the ruck": To make someone stand out from the ordinary crowd.
  • Her innovative research lifted her above the ruck of her peers.

Noun

1. an irregular fold in an otherwise even surface (as in cloth)
2. a crowd especially of ordinary or undistinguished persons or things
   • his brilliance raised him above the ruck
   • the children resembled a fairy herd

Verb

1. become wrinkled or drawn together
   • her lips puckered