plug-in

[ pluhg-in ]

See synonyms for plug-in on Thesaurus.com

adjective

capable of or designed for being connected to an electrical power source by plugging in or inserting: a plug-in hair dryer;a plug-in transistor.

noun

a plug-in appliance.
Computers. a small software program that builds additional functionality into a stand-alone computer application: Your web browser can’t display this video without a plug-in.

Origin of plug-in

First recorded in 1920–25; adjective and noun use of verb phrase plug in

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use plug-in in a sentence

With each passing month, about 11,000 new all-electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles hit the road.
Paved Paradise | The Daily Beast | September 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
California alone already has more than 100,000 plug-in vehicles.
Paved Paradise | The Daily Beast | September 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But last month, carbuyers could choose from well over 50 different types of hybrids, including seven plug-in hybrids.
Hybrid Cars Are Niche No More | The Daily Beast | June 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Total sales of hybrids (including plug-in hybrids) were over 59,000, more than double the May 2009 low of about 25,000.
Hybrid Cars Are Niche No More | The Daily Beast | June 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But a browser plug-in that encrypts Facebook messages could change all that.
Crypto for the Masses: Here’s How You Can Resist the NSA | Quinn Norton | May 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

He surveyed a big switchboard and picked out an outlet marked "Pons Varolis for the plug-in."
The Brain | Alexander Blade
Loose plug-in connections and hose-ends dangled about his lean body.
Death of a Spaceman | Walter M. Miller
He climbed into the snapper-boat and hunted for the plug-in terminal.
Rip Foster in Ride the Gray Planet | Harold Leland Goodwin
I was a replaceable plug-in unit, not an individual in my own right.
Anchorite | Randall Garrett

British Dictionary definitions for plug in

plug in

verb

(tr, adverb) to connect (an electrical appliance) with a power source by means of an electrical plug

nounplug-in

a device that can be connected by means of a plug
computing a module or piece of software that can be added to a system to provide extra functions or features, esp software that enhances the capabilities of a web browser

computing (as modifier): plug-in memory cards

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

Scientific definitions for plug-in

plug-in

[ plŭg′ĭn′ ]

An accessory software or hardware package that is used in conjunction with an existing application or device to extend its capabilities or provide additional functions.

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