Ruck meaning : A throng or crowd of people or things; a mass, a pack. In Australian rules football The situation formed when a player carrying the ball is brought to the ground and one or more members of each side are engaged above the ball, trying to win possession of it; a loose scrum. The common mass of people or things; the ordinary ranks. To act as a ruck in a stoppage in Australian rules football. To contest the possession of the ball in a ruck.