pluck
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.
to pull or tug sharply (often followed by at).
to snatch (often followed by at).
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.
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.
Origin of pluck
1Other words for pluck
Other words from pluck
- plucker, noun
- half-plucked, adjective
- un·plucked, adjective
- well-plucked, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use pluck in a sentence
An overstretched United States could be ripe for the plucking by a Russian Army secretly building its strength.
He had lost the dream that Tony but tended a blossom, the fruit of which would come sweetly to his plucking afterwards.
The Wave | Algernon BlackwoodM is a motor adapted for plucking open the pallet P through the medium of strap s.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building | George Laing MillerShe sat all alone, plucking nervously at the red-and-white checkered tablecloth.
The Man from Time | Frank Belknap LongOn pleasant days they walked with their mamma for miles over the green prairies, plucking wild-flowers as they went along.
I could see them curling their trunks around their mates and plucking lilies from the water to eat.
Kari the Elephant | Dhan Gopal Mukerji
British Dictionary definitions for pluck
/ (plʌk) /
(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
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
Origin of pluck
1Derived forms of pluck
- plucker, noun
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
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