pluck
to pull off or out from the place of growth, as fruit, flowers, feathers, etc.: to pluck feathers from a chicken.
to give a pull at; grasp: to pluck someone's sleeve.
to pull with sudden force or with a jerk.
to pull or move by force (often followed by away, off, or out).
to remove the feathers, hair, etc., from by pulling: to pluck a chicken.
Slang. to rob, plunder, or fleece.
to sound (the strings of a musical instrument) by pulling at them with the fingers or a plectrum.
to pull or tug sharply (often followed by at).
to snatch (often followed by at).
act of plucking; a tug.
the heart, liver, and lungs, especially of an animal used for food.
courage or resolution in the face of difficulties.
pluck up,
to eradicate; uproot.
to summon up one's courage; rouse one's spirits: He always plucked up at the approach of danger. She was a stranger in the town, but, plucking up her courage, she soon made friends.
Origin of pluck
1Other words for pluck
Other words from pluck
- plucker, noun
- half-plucked, adjective
- un·plucked, adjective
- well-plucked, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use pluck in a sentence
His big break came in 1992 when an aging cardinal plucked him from his outback and persuaded the Vatican to make him a bishop.
He plucked them and flushed the feathers carefully, so as not to block up the toilets and draw attention.
Tales of a Jailhouse Gourmet: How I learned to Cook in Prison | Daniel Genis | June 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“Umm…they maintain themselves,” she responded when asked whether or not they were threaded, plucked, or waxed.
Donald Sterling’s Former Mistress Makes the “Paparazzi Shield” Chic; Cara Delevingne Has Self-Grooming Eyebrows | The Fashion Beast Team | May 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTShe was plucked from relative obscurity to star alongside Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman in the TV adaptation.
As he spoke he plucked a solitary gold-fish squirming and twisting out of its globe.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show | Robert W. Chambers | February 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Edna plucked all the bright flowers she could find, and went into the house with them, she and the little dog.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate ChopinShe plucked and tore at her arms for a little time; but I held her hands, and she soon dropped off.
Oliver Twist, Vol. II (of 3) | Charles DickensWoe to you if you fall into his clutches; before you come out of them you will be plucked, veritably flayed.
Friend Mac Donald | Max O'RellThe newsdealer was looking the other way as he made change so Lamb plucked back his nickel.
In a sudden, blind choler, she swept round, plucked the dagger from Tressan's belt and flung herself upon the treacherous captain.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael Sabatini
British Dictionary definitions for pluck
/ (plʌk) /
(tr) to pull off (feathers, fruit, etc) from (a fowl, tree, etc)
(when intr, foll by at) to pull or tug
(tr; foll by off, away, etc) archaic to pull (something) forcibly or violently (from something or someone)
(tr) to sound (the strings) of (a musical instrument) with the fingers, a plectrum, etc
(tr) another word for strip 1 (def. 7)
(tr) slang to fleece or swindle
courage, usually in the face of difficulties or hardship
a sudden pull or tug
the heart, liver, and lungs, esp of an animal used for food
Origin of pluck
1Derived forms of pluck
- plucker, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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