pluck

[ pluhk ]

/ plʌk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pluck ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to pull off or out from the place of growth, as fruit, flowers, feathers, etc.: to pluck feathers from a chicken.

to give a pull at; grasp: to pluck someone's sleeve.

to pull with sudden force or with a jerk.

to pull or move by force (often followed by away, off, or out).

to remove the feathers, hair, etc., from by pulling: to pluck a chicken.

Slang. to rob, plunder, or fleece.

to sound (the strings of a musical instrument) by pulling at them with the fingers or a plectrum.

verb (used without object)

to pull or tug sharply (often followed by at).

to snatch (often followed by at).

noun

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.

Verb Phrases

pluck up,

to eradicate; uproot.
to summon up one's courage; rouse one's spirits: He always plucked up at the approach of danger. She was a stranger in the town, but, plucking up her courage, she soon made friends.

Nearby words

plp, plr, plss, plu, plu., plucked, pluck up, pluck up one's courage, plucky, plug, plug and feathers

Origin of pluck

before 1000; Middle English plukken (v.), Old English pluccian, cognate with Middle Low German plucken; akin to Dutch plukken, German pflücken

SYNONYMS FOR pluck

2 tug.

3 yank, tear, rip.

12 bravery, boldness, determination, mettle, nerve.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pluck ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formspluck·er, nounhalf-plucked, adjectiveun·plucked, adjectivewell-plucked, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for plucked

He plucked them and flushed the feathers carefully, so as not to block up the toilets and draw attention.
Tales of a Jailhouse Gourmet: How I learned to Cook in Prison|Daniel Genis|June 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Umm…they maintain themselves,” she responded when asked whether or not they were threaded, plucked, or waxed.
Donald Sterling’s Former Mistress Makes the “Paparazzi Shield” Chic; Cara Delevingne Has Self-Grooming Eyebrows|The Fashion Beast Team|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She was plucked from relative obscurity to star alongside Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman in the TV adaptation.
Meet ‘Fargo’ Breakout Star Allison Tolman|Kevin Fallon|April 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As he spoke he plucked a solitary gold-fish squirming and twisting out of its globe.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

After showing promise, she was plucked out and sent to Bletchley to work in the research unit run by Dilly Knox.
Week in Death: The Woman Who Cracked Hitler’s Codes|The Telegraph|November 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I have plucked a bunch of leaves in an unexpected swoop in-shore.
The Sea and the Jungle|H. M. Tomlinson
Mr. Langer nodded more decisively than before and plucked a second blade of grass.
The Boy Scouts of Lakeville High|Leslie W. Quirk
"That is very good advice," said Anders with a wry face, as he plucked some moss to stanch the wound in his arm.
Days of the Discoverers|L. Lamprey
He stuck his hand through the unglazed window of a never-built shop and plucked out a toy in a battered box.
Makers|Cory Doctorow
But he being overruled by a council of war, plucked out his sword, and followed his commander, the Duke d'Anville.
Acadia|Frederic S. Cozzens

British Dictionary definitions for plucked

pluck

/ (plʌk) /

verb

(tr) to pull off (feathers, fruit, etc) from (a fowl, tree, etc)

(when intr, foll by at) to pull or tug

(tr; foll by off, away, etc) archaic 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

(tr) another word for strip 1 (def. 7)

(tr) slang 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

Derived Formsplucker, noun

Word Origin for pluck

Old English pluccian, plyccan; related to German pflücken

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for plucked (1 of 2)

pluck

late Old English ploccian, pluccian "pull off, cull," from West Germanic *plokken (cf. Middle Low German plucken, Middle Dutch plocken, Dutch plukken, Flemish plokken, German pflücken), perhaps from Vulgar Latin *piluccare (cf. Old French peluchier, late 12c.; Italian piluccare), a frequentative, ultimately from Latin pilare "pull out hair," from pilus "hair" (see pile (n.3)). But despite the similarities, OED finds difficulties with this and cites gaps in historical evidence. Related: Plucked; plucking.

To pluck a rose, an expression said to be used by women for going to the necessary house, which in the country usually stands in the garden. [F. Grose, "Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue," 1785]

This euphemistic use is attested from 1610s. To pluck up "summon up" is from c.1300.

Word Origin and History for plucked (1 of 2)

pluck

c.1400, "act of plucking," from pluck (v.). Meaning "courage, boldness" (1785), originally in pugilism slang, is a figurative use from earlier meaning "heart, viscera" (1610s) as that which is "plucked" from slaughtered livestock. Perhaps influenced by figurative use of the verb in pluck up (one's courage, etc.), attested from c.1300.

pluck

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Verb Phrases

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Origin of pluck

Examples from the Web for plucked

British Dictionary definitions for plucked

pluck

verb

noun

Word Origin for pluck

Word Origin and History for plucked (1 of 2)

pluck

Word Origin and History for plucked (1 of 2)

pluck