pluck up
Britishverb
-
to pull out; uproot
-
to muster (courage, one's spirits, etc)
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.
But Ecclesiastes got it right about everything having a season, “a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.”
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2025
Shrewd pumpkin pickers will pluck up the best of the lot the first or second weekend in October, the grower said, but last weekend’s rains probably reduced the crowds.
From Washington Times • Oct. 24, 2020
I had such low confidence I found it easier to hide my illiteracy rather than pluck up the courage to ask for help, mainly through fear of being labelled "stupid" by other kids.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2018
Helicopters were brought in to pluck up survivors while crews waded in to drag or carry out others even though they weren’t sure whether they would be hit with another slide.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 10, 2018
I did though on one occasion not long ago pluck up the courage to attempt the required sort of reply.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
