plug
Americannoun
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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.
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a core or interior segment taken from a larger matrix.
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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.
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a fireplug or hydrant.
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a cake of pressed tobacco.
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a piece of tobacco cut off for chewing.
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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.
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Angling. an artificial lure made of wood, plastic, or metal, and fitted with one or more gang hooks, used chiefly in casting.
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Geology. neck.
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Slang. a worn-out or inferior horse.
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Informal. a shopworn or unsalable article.
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a small piece of sod used especially for seeding a lawn.
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a patch of scalp with viable hair follicles that is used as a graft for a bald part of the head.
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Slang. punch.
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Metalworking.
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a mandrel on which tubes are formed.
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a punch on which a cup is drawn.
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a protrusion on a forging die for forming a recess in the work.
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a false bottom on a die.
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Also called dook. a small piece of wood inserted into masonry as a hold for a nail.
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Masonry. plug and feathers
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Also called plug hat. a man's tall silk hat.
verb (used with object)
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to stop or fill with or as if with a plug (often followed byup ).
to plug up a leak; plug a gap.
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to insert or drive a plug into.
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to secure with or as if with a plug.
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to insert (something) as a plug.
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to remove a core or a small plug-shaped piece from.
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to remove the center of (a coin) and replace it with a baser metal.
a plugged nickel.
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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.
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Slang. to punch with the fist.
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Slang. to shoot or strike with a bullet.
verb (used without object)
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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.
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Informal. to publicize insistently.
Whenever he gets the chance, he's plugging for his company.
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Slang. to shoot or fire shots.
verb phrase
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plug in
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to connect to an electrical power source.
Plug the TV set in over there.
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Informal. to add or include; incorporate.
They still have to plug in more research data.
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plug up to become plugged.
The drain in the sink plugs up every so often.
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plug into
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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.
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Informal. to feel an affinity for; like; understand.
Some kids just don't plug into sports in school.
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idioms
noun
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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
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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
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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
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Also called: volcanic plug. a mass of solidified magma filling the neck of an extinct volcano
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See sparking plug
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a cake of pressed or twisted tobacco, esp for chewing
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a small piece of such a cake
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angling a weighted artificial lure with one or more sets of hooks attached, used in spinning
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a seedling with its roots encased in potting compost, grown in a tray with compartments for each individual plant
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informal a recommendation or other favourable mention of a product, show, etc, as on television, on radio, or in newspapers
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slang a shot, blow, or punch (esp in the phrase take a plug at )
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informal the mechanism that releases water to flush a lavatory (esp in the phrase pull the plug )
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an old horse
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informal to put a stop to
verb
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(tr) to stop up or secure (a hole, gap, etc) with or as if with a plug
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(tr) to insert or use (something) as a plug
to plug a finger into one's ear
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informal (tr) to make favourable and often-repeated mentions of (a song, product, show, etc), esp on television, on radio, or in newspapers
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slang (tr) to shoot with a gun
he plugged six rabbits
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slang (tr) to punch or strike
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informal (intr; foll by along, away, etc) to work steadily or persistently
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
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Director Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who filmed the show, recalled that some of the members wanted to pull the plug at the last minute.
From BBC • May 11, 2026
SS-H2 is not yet a plug and play solution for the hydrogen economy.
From Science Daily • May 10, 2026
Watch how LIV Golf tried to reinvent the game of golf — and why it’s now on life support as its main backer pulls the plug.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026
After more than two years, the Treasury might hint at an increase in the amount of long-term debt it intends to sell in the future to plug the widening hole in the U.S. budget.
From Barron's • May 4, 2026
I plug some headphones into the family laptop, select the angel food cake episode of The Great British Baking Show, and turn up the sound so I can’t hear them arguing.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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.
