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fuck

/ˈfʌk/

Listen to how locals say it.

This entry covers fuck, an expression in English as used in United States · United Kingdom · Australia · Canada · Ireland · New Zealand.

Machine translation Some text on this page is machine-translated and has not been reviewed yet.

Contents

Meaning

To have sexual intercourse; used far more often as a strong exclamation, intensifier or imperative dismissal.^[1]^[2]Machine-assisted translation

Pronunciation

IPA: /ˈfʌk/

“fuck” — short u as in “luck”.^[1]

Intensity

SWEAR LEVEL

Rated in-culture by native reviewers, on three separate axes.

VulgarityExtreme

Assessed as how taboo the word itself is inside its own culture.

AggressivenessVery Strong

Assessed at the most aggressive natural use aimed at a person.

Social riskStrong

Assessed as what the speaker risks when saying it to a stranger on the street.

How common

Social Risk

Assessed social risk by setting.

With friendsLow risk
At schoolContext-dependentSome school codes treat it as an immediate sanction.
At workBest avoided
On the streetContext-dependentAimed at someone it can turn into a fight.
OnlineLow risk

Low risk
Context-dependent
Best avoided

Shape and colour encode the same value.

Verification

Content review: Not verified yet
Translation: Machine-translated, review pending
Sources last checked: 2026-08-28

Not verified yetWaiting for native review

Published after an automated pre-check. No native reviewer has confirmed it yet.

A correction desk opens once native review starts. Until then this page records what the sources say.

How it's used

The strongest everyday English swear. As an intensifier among friends it is routine; aimed at a person it reads as an attack.^[1]^[2]Machine-assisted translation

Cultural context

Germanic origin, attested in English from the 16th century; still the reference point for broadcast profanity rules.^[1]^[2]Machine-assisted translation

Literal meaning

to copulate^[1]^[2]

When to avoid it

Situations in which the expression is generally best avoided.

At work — Best avoided
At school — Context-dependent. Some school codes treat it as an immediate sanction.
On the street — Context-dependent. Aimed at someone it can turn into a fight.

Sources

Every claim on this page traces back to these entries.

↑Meaning ↑Pronunciation ↑How it's used ↑Cultural context ↑Literal meaning fuck — English Wiktionary (English)Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · summarised and translated here · accessed 2026-08-28
↑Meaning ↑How it's used ↑Cultural context ↑Literal meaning Fuck — English WikipediaWikipedia contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · summarised and translated here · accessed 2026-08-28

Passages derived from these dictionary entries are redistributed under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.