plank

American  

[plangk] / plæŋk /

noun

1. a long, flat piece of timber, thicker than a board.

2. lumber in such pieces; planking.

3. something to stand on or to cling to for support.

4. any one of the stated principles or objectives comprising the political platform of a party campaigning for election.

   They fought for a plank supporting a nuclear freeze.

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verb (used with object)

1. to lay, cover, or furnish with planks.

2. to bake or broil and serve (steak, fish, chicken, etc.) on a wooden board.

3. plunk.

idioms

1. walk the plank,

   1. to be forced, as by pirates, to walk to one's death by stepping off a plank extending from the ship's side over the water.

   2. to relinquish something, as a position, office, etc., under compulsion.

      We suspect that the new vice-president walked the plank because of a personality clash.

plank ¹ British  

/ plæŋk /

noun

1. a stout length of sawn timber

2. something that supports or sustains

3. one of the policies in a political party's programme

4. to be forced by pirates to walk to one's death off the end of a plank jutting out over the water from the side of a ship

5. slang a stupid person; idiot

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verb

1. to cover or provide (an area) with planks

2. to beat (meat) to make it tender

3. to cook or serve (meat or fish) on a special wooden board

plank ² British  

/ plæŋk /

verb

1. (tr) to hide; cache

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plank More Idioms  

1. see walk the plank.

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Other Word Forms

• plankless
  adjective
• planklike
  adjective
• unplanked
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of plank

1275–1325; Middle English planke < Old North French < Latin planca board, plank. See planch

Explanation

A plank is a board or another rectangular piece of wood. When you're building your four-story treehouse, you'll need a lot of planks. If you've ever watched a movie about pirates, you've heard of "walking the plank," a despicable way to punish captives, forcing them to plunge off the end of a plank (or a "gang plank") into the ocean below. Planks are more commonly used to build houses or hold a fish as it cooks on a grill. Another kind of plank is a political platform, like a candidate's environmental plank, focused on reducing carbon emissions.

Example Sentences

In the 1970s, Bradley made the idea of investing in the city’s public transit a central plank of his 1973 mayoral election campaign.

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026

The plank involves holding a position similar to a push-up for an extended period to work core abdominal muscles as well as the back, shoulders, arms and glutes.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

Earnings are likely to form the central plank of that view.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

Eventual de-escalation is the central plank in the Barclays’ investment case.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

He sized up a plank and laid it against what was left of a joist.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Related Words

• lumber
• platform
• slab
• timber