pluck
Americanverb (used with object)
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to pull off or out from the place of growth, as fruit, flowers, feathers, etc..
to pluck feathers from a chicken.
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to give a pull at; grasp.
to pluck someone's sleeve.
- Synonyms:
- tug
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to pull with sudden force or with a jerk.
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to pull or move by force (often followed by away, off, orout ).
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to remove the feathers, hair, etc., from by pulling.
to pluck a chicken.
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Slang. to rob, plunder, or fleece.
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to sound (the strings of a musical instrument) by pulling at them with the fingers or a plectrum.
verb (used without object)
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to pull or tug sharply (often followed byat ).
-
to snatch (often followed byat ).
noun
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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.
- Synonyms:
- nerve, mettle, determination, boldness, bravery
verb phrase
verb
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(tr) to pull off (feathers, fruit, etc) from (a fowl, tree, etc)
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to pull or tug
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archaic (tr; foll by off, away, etc) 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
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(tr) another word for strip 1
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slang (tr) to fleece or swindle
noun
-
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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
plucksimple
-
pluckssimple
-
have pluckedperfect
-
has pluckedperfect
-
am pluckingprogressive
-
are pluckingprogressive
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is pluckingprogressive
-
have been pluckingperfect progressive
-
has been pluckingperfect progressive
Past
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pluckedsimple
-
had pluckedperfect
-
was pluckingprogressive
-
were pluckingprogressive
-
had been pluckingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pluck
before 1000; Middle English plukken (v.), Old English pluccian, cognate with Middle Low German plucken; akin to Dutch plukken, German pflücken
Explanation
To pluck is to pick or pull a single item out of many, like a flower or a hair. As a noun, pluck is energy or enthusiasm, even when things are looking grim. Don't pluck only the best cherries off the tree: that's cherry-picking! Before you cook a goose, you need to pluck its feathers. If it looks like your goose is cooked, however, then show some pluck, and figure out a way to save yourself. Some characters who are famous for showing pluck include the Artful Dodger, Little Orphan Annie, and Benji the dog. They all kept their chins up and kept on trying, even when things looked really dark.
Vocabulary lists containing pluck
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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"The Song of Wandering Aengus" by W.B. Yeats
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The Magician's Nephew
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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:
I had long admired her, especially the rollicking and indispensable “Slow Days, Fast Company,” first published in 1977, a charming and insightful series of stories bursting with pluck and sass.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
She brings a sort of Disney princess innocence and pluck to Anna, which makes sense considering she played Ariel in the live-action “The Little Mermaid.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
Bethell's performances have vindicated England's decision to pluck him from relative obscurity.
From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2026
If Bezos had any of that pluck, we certainly would not be reading about the Post’s pending demise.
From Salon ● Feb. 6, 2026
“Know how to pluck a chicken, Malcolm?” he said.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
The worker plucks the items out of the bin and places them on another robot that resembles a toy Tonka truck.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
And it plucks a nerve in a country still scarred by its history of militarism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
In each show Taylor plucks someone from the audience and gives them her hat which is a nod to the outfit she wore in the music video for her 2012 single.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2024
Quincy Cortez plucks at a slim black box laid across his legs, his fingers flashing silver.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2024
He plucks the mystery gift from his backpack and wades back toward me.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
The following track, “Death Wish,” is about the torment of a new love gone bad, and it unfolds over plucked acoustic guitars and a distant bass drum that sounds like a heartbeat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Eventually, after he plucked up the courage he "ended up having a lovely conversation with one of the members about the peregrines at the university".
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
When a violin string is plucked, it produces a main tone along with a series of overtones.
From Science Daily ● May 19, 2026
In early 2025 on BlueSky, coldForce chose an avatar plucked from the anime series “Gintama”: the heroine Kagura in her berserk state, insane with rage.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2026
She plucked a fat teapot from a nearby cart and set a cup before Gia.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
The company made headlines this week for plucking downed pilots out of peril, but its larger goal is to keep servicemembers out of harm’s way in the first place.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Scotland's third try was the pick of the bunch, with replacement Scott plucking Meryl Smith's pinpoint kick from the air and effortlessly stepping Kayleigh Powell to put daylight between the scores.
From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2026
It bursts with insights that mix journalistic acumen with gossip, backed by a score generously seasoned with mischievous violin string plucking.
From Salon ● Mar. 14, 2026
She’s over wasting time plucking chin hairs, searching for brain fog-induced lost reading glasses and — most of all — withholding her opinions so as not to offend others.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 20, 2026
She busied herself with plucking the heads off the bright yellow daisies, and I didn’t bother to stop her.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
