plug
Americannoun
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plugs
plural
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a piece of wood or other material used to stop up a hole or aperture, to fill a gap, or to act as a wedge.
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a core or interior segment taken from a larger matrix.
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Electricity. a device to which may be attached the conductors of a cord and which by insertion in a jack, or screwing into a receptacle, establishes contact.
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a fireplug or hydrant.
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a cake of pressed tobacco.
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a piece of tobacco cut off for chewing.
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Informal. the favorable mention of something, as in a lecture, radio show, etc.; advertisement; recommendation.
The actress was happy to give her new show a plug.
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Angling. an artificial lure made of wood, plastic, or metal, and fitted with one or more gang hooks, used chiefly in casting.
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Geology. neck.
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Slang. a worn-out or inferior horse.
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Informal. a shopworn or unsalable article.
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a small piece of sod used especially for seeding a lawn.
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a patch of scalp with viable hair follicles that is used as a graft for a bald part of the head.
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Slang. punch.
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Metalworking.
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a mandrel on which tubes are formed.
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a punch on which a cup is drawn.
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a protrusion on a forging die for forming a recess in the work.
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a false bottom on a die.
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Also called dook. a small piece of wood inserted into masonry as a hold for a nail.
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Masonry. plug and feathers
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Also called plug hat. a man's tall silk hat.
verb (used with object)
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plugs,
present (3rd person singular)
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plugged,
past participle, past
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plugging
present participle
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to stop or fill with or as if with a plug (often followed byup ).
to plug up a leak; plug a gap.
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to insert or drive a plug into.
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to secure with or as if with a plug.
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to insert (something) as a plug.
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to remove a core or a small plug-shaped piece from.
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to remove the center of (a coin) and replace it with a baser metal.
a plugged nickel.
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Informal. to mention (something) favorably, as in a lecture, radio show, etc..
He says he will appear if he can plug his new TV series.
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Slang. to punch with the fist.
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Slang. to shoot or strike with a bullet.
verb (used without object)
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plugs,
present (3rd person singular)
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plugged,
past participle, past
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plugging
present participle
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to work with stubborn persistence (often followed by along oraway ).
You're doing a fine job—just keep plugging. Some writers will plug away at the same novel for several years.
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Informal. to publicize insistently.
Whenever he gets the chance, he's plugging for his company.
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Slang. to shoot or fire shots.
verb phrase
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plug in
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to connect to an electrical power source.
Plug the TV set in over there.
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Informal. to add or include; incorporate.
They still have to plug in more research data.
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plug up to become plugged.
The drain in the sink plugs up every so often.
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plug into
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to connect or become connected by or as if by means of a plug.
The device will plug into any convenient wall outlet. The proposed new departments would eventually plug into the overall organizational plan.
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Informal. to feel an affinity for; like; understand.
Some kids just don't plug into sports in school.
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idioms
noun
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a piece of wood, cork, or other material, often cylindrical in shape, used to stop up holes and gaps or as a wedge for taking a screw or nail
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such a stopper used esp to close the waste pipe of a bath, basin, or sink while it is in use and removed to let the water drain away
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a device having one or more pins to which an electric cable is attached: used to make an electrical connection when inserted into a socket
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Also called: volcanic plug. a mass of solidified magma filling the neck of an extinct volcano
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See sparking plug
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a cake of pressed or twisted tobacco, esp for chewing
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a small piece of such a cake
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angling a weighted artificial lure with one or more sets of hooks attached, used in spinning
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a seedling with its roots encased in potting compost, grown in a tray with compartments for each individual plant
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informal a recommendation or other favourable mention of a product, show, etc, as on television, on radio, or in newspapers
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slang a shot, blow, or punch (esp in the phrase take a plug at )
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informal the mechanism that releases water to flush a lavatory (esp in the phrase pull the plug )
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an old horse
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informal to put a stop to
verb
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(tr) to stop up or secure (a hole, gap, etc) with or as if with a plug
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(tr) to insert or use (something) as a plug
to plug a finger into one's ear
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informal (tr) to make favourable and often-repeated mentions of (a song, product, show, etc), esp on television, on radio, or in newspapers
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slang (tr) to shoot with a gun
he plugged six rabbits
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slang (tr) to punch or strike
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informal (intr; foll by along, away, etc) to work steadily or persistently
Usage
What else does plug mean? Content warning: this article references illegal and illicit drugs. A plug (or the plug) is a person who has the ability to get or supply hard-to-find items, especially drugs.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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plugsimple
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plugssimple
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have pluggedperfect
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has pluggedperfect
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am pluggingprogressive
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are pluggingprogressive
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is pluggingprogressive
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have been pluggingperfect progressive
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has been pluggingperfect progressive
Past
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pluggedsimple
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had pluggedperfect
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was pluggingprogressive
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were pluggingprogressive
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had been pluggingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of plug
1620–30; < Dutch; cognate with German Pflock
Explanation
A plug is something that blocks a hole, particularly one that water normally flows through. For some reason, it also means to promote something. If you plug your new book, you sneak it into every conversation. You can buy a plug at a hardware store — it might be made of rubber, so it fits snugly in your kitchen sink drain. There are also accidental plugs that block the flow of water through a pipe, and plugs that fit securely in wall sockets. These plugs form a connection between an electrical source and an appliance, rather than stemming the flow. And to plug means to stop up or block, or alternately, to try hard to promote something.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Artificial intelligence users are shopping around as US giants face fierce competition from Chinese rivals -- and in Beijing's tech district, drinkers at an AI-themed bar can even plug in to DeepSeek for free.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
“Obviously if somebody’s trying to create a financial model…you have to plug in some numbers here,” Musk said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
With digital cameras offering an element of surprise when you plug in the memory card reader to your computer at home, digital cameras capture a moment in time.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Roberts said a few different companies could plug the index’s EA-shaped gap, noting that there are 14 eligible new additions.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
“You have enough paper there to plug every hole in all the barracks in Bonetti Ranch,” Mamá said, laughing.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
The base this plugs into is already large.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
When the antibody plugs into the capillary’s transferrin receptor, a portal through the blood-brain barrier opens up.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
They range from energy saving plugs that can cause a fire or electric shocks to baby sleeping bags that can be a suffocation risk.
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026
To charge it at home, I used my Level 2 charger with an adapter, since China uses different plugs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
She finds the cord for the cassette player, plugs it in.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
They plugged Travis’s core values into an app one of the friends built to assess compatibility.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
They are simply plugged into the nearest socket and work by drawing in warm air, cooling it, and venting heat outside through a window via a pipe or ducting.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Just because we’re plugged into those networks doesn’t mean we don’t care about privacy anymore.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
Once she’s plugged in, charged and becomes sentient like the rest of the toys in Bonnie’s room, Lily wastes no time shaking things up.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026
Still smiling, Dimple pulled out her headphones, plugged them in, and handed them to Rishi.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
Bidders will be given extra credit for creating local jobs paying above the minimum wage, plugging local skills gaps by offering training and particularly by offering 45-day work experience placements for young people.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
The people plugging this shortfall are buyers of U.S. debt.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
Chinese and Russian stealth fighters, plugging a hole in Europe’s armories and possibly surpassing the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
One key skill for the coming bot invasion: plugging in cables.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
I didn’t have time to search all over school; I had to keep plugging along on the Kevin Spencer Apology Tour.
From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
