plug

American  

[pluhg] / plʌg /

noun

• plugs
  plural

1. a piece of wood or other material used to stop up a hole or aperture, to fill a gap, or to act as a wedge.

2. a core or interior segment taken from a larger matrix.

3. Electricity. a device to which may be attached the conductors of a cord and which by insertion in a jack, or screwing into a receptacle, establishes contact.

4. spark plug.

5. a fireplug or hydrant.

6. a cake of pressed tobacco.

7. a piece of tobacco cut off for chewing.

8. Informal. the favorable mention of something, as in a lecture, radio show, etc.; advertisement; recommendation.

   The actress was happy to give her new show a plug.

9. Angling. an artificial lure made of wood, plastic, or metal, and fitted with one or more gang hooks, used chiefly in casting.

10. Geology. neck.

11. Slang. a worn-out or inferior horse.

12. Informal. a shopworn or unsalable article.

13. a small piece of sod used especially for seeding a lawn.

14. a patch of scalp with viable hair follicles that is used as a graft for a bald part of the head.

15. Slang. punch.

16. Metalworking.

    1. a mandrel on which tubes are formed.

    2. a punch on which a cup is drawn.

    3. a protrusion on a forging die for forming a recess in the work.

    4. a false bottom on a die.

17. Also called dook.  a small piece of wood inserted into masonry as a hold for a nail.

18. Masonry. plug and feathers

19. Also called plug hat.  a man's tall silk hat.

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verb (used with object)

• plugs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• plugged,
  past participle,  past
• plugging
  present participle

1. to stop or fill with or as if with a plug (often followed byup ).

   to plug up a leak; plug a gap.

2. to insert or drive a plug into.

3. to secure with or as if with a plug.

4. to insert (something) as a plug.

5. to remove a core or a small plug-shaped piece from.

6. to remove the center of (a coin) and replace it with a baser metal.

   a plugged nickel.

7. Informal. to mention (something) favorably, as in a lecture, radio show, etc..

   He says he will appear if he can plug his new TV series.

8. Slang. to punch with the fist.

9. Slang. to shoot or strike with a bullet.

verb (used without object)

• plugs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• plugged,
  past participle,  past
• plugging
  present participle

1. to work with stubborn persistence (often followed by along oraway ).

   You're doing a fine job—just keep plugging. Some writers will plug away at the same novel for several years.

2. Informal. to publicize insistently.

   Whenever he gets the chance, he's plugging for his company.

3. Slang. to shoot or fire shots.

verb phrase

1. plug in

   1. to connect to an electrical power source.

      Plug the TV set in over there.

   2. Informal. to add or include; incorporate.

      They still have to plug in more research data.

2. plug up to become plugged.

   The drain in the sink plugs up every so often.

3. plug into

   1. to connect or become connected by or as if by means of a plug.

      The device will plug into any convenient wall outlet. The proposed new departments would eventually plug into the overall organizational plan.

   2. Informal. to feel an affinity for; like; understand.

      Some kids just don't plug into sports in school.

idioms

1. pull the plug on,

   1. to discontinue or terminate.

      The government has threatened to pull the plug on further subsidies.

   2. to disconnect life-sustaining equipment from (a moribund patient).

plug British  

/ plʌɡ /

noun

1. a piece of wood, cork, or other material, often cylindrical in shape, used to stop up holes and gaps or as a wedge for taking a screw or nail

2. such a stopper used esp to close the waste pipe of a bath, basin, or sink while it is in use and removed to let the water drain away

3. a device having one or more pins to which an electric cable is attached: used to make an electrical connection when inserted into a socket

4. Also called: volcanic plug.  a mass of solidified magma filling the neck of an extinct volcano

5. See sparking plug

6. 1. a cake of pressed or twisted tobacco, esp for chewing

   2. a small piece of such a cake

7. angling a weighted artificial lure with one or more sets of hooks attached, used in spinning

8. a seedling with its roots encased in potting compost, grown in a tray with compartments for each individual plant

9. informal a recommendation or other favourable mention of a product, show, etc, as on television, on radio, or in newspapers

10. slang a shot, blow, or punch (esp in the phrase take a plug at )

11. informal the mechanism that releases water to flush a lavatory (esp in the phrase pull the plug )

12. an old horse

13. informal to put a stop to

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verb

1. (tr) to stop up or secure (a hole, gap, etc) with or as if with a plug

2. (tr) to insert or use (something) as a plug

   to plug a finger into one's ear

3. informal (tr) to make favourable and often-repeated mentions of (a song, product, show, etc), esp on television, on radio, or in newspapers

4. slang (tr) to shoot with a gun

   he plugged six rabbits

5. slang (tr) to punch or strike

6. informal (intr; foll by along, away, etc) to work steadily or persistently

plug More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing plug

• peg (plug) away at
• pull the plug on

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Usage

What else does plug mean? Content warning: this article references illegal and illicit drugs. A plug (or the plug) is a person who has the ability to get or supply hard-to-find items, especially drugs.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• plugger
  noun
• pluggable
  adjective
• plugless
  adjective
• pluglike
  adjective
• pluggingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• plugs
  plural

Participles

• plugging
  present
• plugged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• plug
  simple
• plugs
  simple
• have plugged
  perfect
• has plugged
  perfect
• am plugging
  progressive
• are plugging
  progressive
• is plugging
  progressive
• have been plugging
  perfect progressive
• has been plugging
  perfect progressive

Past

• plugged
  simple
• had plugged
  perfect
• was plugging
  progressive
• were plugging
  progressive
• had been plugging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will plug
  simple
• will have plugged
  perfect
• will be plugging
  progressive
• will have been plugging
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of plug

1620–30; < Dutch; cognate with German Pflock

Explanation

A plug is something that blocks a hole, particularly one that water normally flows through. For some reason, it also means to promote something. If you plug your new book, you sneak it into every conversation. You can buy a plug at a hardware store — it might be made of rubber, so it fits snugly in your kitchen sink drain. There are also accidental plugs that block the flow of water through a pipe, and plugs that fit securely in wall sockets. These plugs form a connection between an electrical source and an appliance, rather than stemming the flow. And to plug means to stop up or block, or alternately, to try hard to promote something.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

plug plugs plugged plugging

That’s when Warner’s board could pull the plug on the Paramount deal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

Artificial intelligence users are shopping around as US giants face fierce competition from Chinese rivals -- and in Beijing's tech district, drinkers at an AI-themed bar can even plug in to DeepSeek for free.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

According to the paper, the proposed cuts have been drawn up by trusts to plug holes in finances.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

Roberts said a few different companies could plug the index’s EA-shaped gap, noting that there are 14 eligible new additions.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

After the cleaning, I plug the TV in and set up the antenna.

From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle

During her investigation, the 33-year-old discovered the range of cheap spycam technology available, such as cameras disguised as everyday objects such as pens, air fresheners and plugs.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

The base this plugs into is already large.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026

When the antibody plugs into the capillary’s transferrin receptor, a portal through the blood-brain barrier opens up.

From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026

The number of plugs at each site is increasing, and they are becoming more powerful, able to recharge cars more quickly, the study found.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026

Leon Sadoff’s father ran a kiosk on Amsterdam just off 125th Street, and we got nine plugs of chewing tobacco from him.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers

On Thursday, workers excavated a 3-by 4-foot area to find the source of the water, plugged the leak and resumed preparing the street to open.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

Rarely is a fully charged car left unattended and plugged in.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

England's bowlers did little wrong with the ball, as they plugged away for an hour before tea and throughout a difficult lengthy evening session.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

Just because we’re plugged into those networks doesn’t mean we don’t care about privacy anymore.

From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026

She dug in a suitcase pocket and pulled out a charger, then crossed to an area with outlets and plugged in the phone.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

The people plugging this shortfall are buyers of U.S. debt.

From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026

Chinese and Russian stealth fighters, plugging a hole in Europe’s armories and possibly surpassing the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026

One key skill for the coming bot invasion: plugging in cables.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026

"There's still much room for improvement in coal mine safety, and plugging these gaps is of utmost urgency."

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

He just kept plugging away at the trees like he always did, making the same music, stopping every time someone came up only long enough to see if they were gonna tell him something.

From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis

Related Words

• clog
• fill
• pack
• seal