plunger
Americannoun
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Machinery. a pistonlike reciprocating part moving within the cylinder of a pump or hydraulic device.
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Automotive. a pistonlike part in the valve of a pneumatic tire.
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Also called plumber's helper. Also called plumber's friend,. Also called force cup. a device consisting of a handle with a rubber suction cup at one end, used as a force pump to free clogged drains and toilet traps.
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a person or thing that plunges.
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a reckless bettor or speculator.
noun
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a rubber suction cup fixed to the end of a rod, used to clear blocked drains
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a device or part of a machine that has a plunging or thrusting motion; piston
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informal a reckless gambler
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of plunger
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.
Because water resists compression, pulling the plunger creates increasing resistance.
From Science Daily • May 13, 2026
You can’t just burn you house down and walk away, so you grab a plunger.
From Slate • Apr. 7, 2025
“We wanted to, you know, really roll with it,” said Zach D’Angelo, dressed as a giant roll of toilet paper with a red plunger as his hat.
From New York Times • Apr. 22, 2024
After breaking the Dalek, the Doctor hands a plunger from his Tardis which marks the "origins of the iconic Dalek arm", the Doctor Who official Twitter page said.
From BBC • Nov. 17, 2023
Four: Hold the nib above the ink bottle and turn the plunger counterclockwise again until three drops of ink fall back into the bottle.
From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg
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.
