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Canuck

(rare) A thing from Canada.

kəˈnʌkDocumented since 1970s1970sGen XhistoricalCurrent146 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
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3 definitions
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Etymology timeline

Born ~1975 · 1 year of recorded use
1975Born2026: 2 citationsToday, 2026
Boomer / counterculture eraSee decade cohort →

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#1·Apr 26, 2026

(rare) A thing from Canada.

We saw a few partridges: we also met a lusty fellow in a forest road with a keg of whisky slung round him, who called to us 'Come boys and have some grog, I'm what you call a canuck:' a (Canadian).
Heard in the wild
  • “As a Canuck fan we had Hughes said the same while secretly telling the management he wants out.”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
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#2·Apr 26, 2026

(originally, informal, sometimes, derogatory) Of, belonging to, or relating to Canada, its culture, or people; Canadian.

"I want none of your d—— peasoup excuses, or promises," and, calling upon the hostler, a fat-blooded Englishman, he ordered him to stable the horse immediately, and keep a sharp "look out" to that Canuck Frenchman.
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#3·Apr 26, 2026

(Canada, US, informal, sometimes, derogatory) A Canadian person; specifically (archaic), a French Canadian person; a pea-souper; also (obsolete) a Canadian person of other non-English descent.

Origin: , often hypothesized to derive from the name or speech of an early Canadian minority, later broadened to denote all Canadians: * Since 1975, many scholars have come to think the name is from , a self-appellation of indentured colonial canoemen and Hawaiian sailors working off the Pacific Northwest, Arctic and New England coasts, from ; or, more likely, American whalers’ pidgin, then re-interpreted as Can(adian) + a . (More below on that [specific] putative suffix.) Compare and . * Some dictionaries suggest it is derived from the first syllable of Canada, or its , or a related word kanuchsa. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents

Canuck means: A Canadian person; specifically (archaic), a French Canadian person; a pea-souper; also (obsolete) a Canadian person of other non-English descent.. The word is mostly archaic or historical; you will only encounter it in old texts, period drama, or school history rather than current teen conversation. It is generally derogatory or offensive; worth a quiet word about how it lands on the person being described.

For ESL learners

Canuck means: A Canadian person; specifically (archaic), a French Canadian person; a pea-souper; also (obsolete) a Canadian person of other non-English descent.. Register: archaic, historical. Almost never used today; you will find it only in older texts, dictionaries of dialect, or historical writing. Avoid in active vocabulary. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.

Cluster: insult
Heard in the wild
  • “Continuing to post all my videos in reverse order, this is from my all-Canuck 80s/90s covers album. Fitting footage from the Internet Archive. The Rheostatics are a venerable (and very good) Canadian art-rock band I used to go see play live frequently. youtu.be/6lIs8nq_hNI?...”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
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