plank

American  

[plangk] / plæŋk /

noun

planks plural

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)

planks, present (3rd person singular) planked, past participle, past planking present participle

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

Derived Forms

• plankless
  adjective
• planklike
  adjective
• unplanked
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• planks
  plural

Participles

• planking
  present
• planked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• plank
  simple
• planks
  simple
• have planked
  perfect
• has planked
  perfect
• am planking
  progressive
• are planking
  progressive
• is planking
  progressive
• have been planking
  perfect progressive
• has been planking
  perfect progressive

Past

• planked
  simple
• had planked
  perfect
• was planking
  progressive
• were planking
  progressive
• had been planking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will plank
  simple
• will have planked
  perfect
• will be planking
  progressive
• will have been planking
  perfect progressive

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

The man eventually used a wooden plank to guide the bear out of the truck, allowing both to walk away unharmed.

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026

Early projections suggest that figure could rise by between 30% and 50% this year, forming a key plank in the investment-grade bond market’s issuance forecast of around $2.25 trillion.

From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026

A plank in the mayor’s coming housing plan aims to give a one-time exception for some of the most distressed rent-stabilized landlords.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

In 2026, Angelenos should be focused on electing people and approving initiatives that will improve the city for everyone, not a narrow plank benefiting a slice of the population.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

At the appropriate moment he slipped out with a plank upon his shoulder and joined the work force.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

Related Words

• lumber
• platform
• slab
• timber