buck

One dollar.

• It costs one buck.
• I paid twenty bucks for this shirt.
• Can you lend me a few bucks until Friday?

Similar words: dollar

Common phrases: one buck, a buck each, a buck apiece

Money, especially money someone earns or hopes to earn.

• He sells old furniture to make a buck.
• They were only interested in making a quick buck.
• She'll try any honest way to earn an extra buck.

Similar words: money, cash

Common phrases: make a buck, a quick buck, a fast buck, earn a buck

A male deer or goat.

• A buck stood beside the trees.
• The buck lowered his antlers and turned towards us.
• The farmer keeps one buck with her female goats.

Similar words: stag

Opposites: doe

Common phrases: young buck, buck deer, buck goat, large buck

Responsibility for a problem or decision, especially when someone tries to give it to another person.

• Don't pass the buck to me.
• The buck stops with whoever made the decision.
• Every department passed the buck when the project failed.

How to use it: pass the buck to someone (The manager passed the buck to his assistant.); the buck stops with someone (The buck stops with the team leader.)

Similar words: responsibility, blame

Common phrases: pass the buck, the buck stops, buck stops here

A male rabbit or hare.

• This rabbit is a buck.
• Keep the buck in a separate hutch.
• The breeder chose a healthy buck for mating.

Similar words: male rabbit, male hare

Opposites: doe

Common phrases: rabbit buck, breeding buck, young buck, adult buck

A male of certain other animals, such as a ferret or kangaroo.

• The keeper identified the kangaroo as a buck.
• A large buck led the group of kangaroos.
• The breeder recorded this male animal as a buck.

Similar words: male

Opposites: doe

Common phrases: kangaroo buck, adult buck, breeding buck

To strongly resist a rule, decision, or usual way of doing things.

• She refused to buck the system.
• Sales rose, bucking the general downward trend.
• He bucked against the board's decision to close the factory.

How to use it: buck something (The company bucked the trend by hiring more staff.); buck against something (The workers bucked against the new rules.)

Similar words: resist, oppose, defy

Opposites: obey, accept

Common phrases: buck the trend, buck the system, buck convention, buck against something

If an animal jumps sharply with its back raised, it may throw its rider off.

• The horse began to buck.
• A frightened pony bucked her off.
• The bull bucked wildly as the rider held on.

How to use it: buck someone off (The horse bucked its rider off.)

Common phrases: buck wildly, buck someone off, begin to buck