Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for plunger. Search instead for plungers.
Synonyms

plunger

American  
[pluhn-jer] / ˈplʌn dʒər /

noun

  1. Machinery. a pistonlike reciprocating part moving within the cylinder of a pump or hydraulic device.

  2. Automotive. a pistonlike part in the valve of a pneumatic tire.

  3. 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.

  4. a person or thing that plunges.

  5. a reckless bettor or speculator.

plunger British  
/ ˈplʌndʒə /

noun

  1. a rubber suction cup fixed to the end of a rod, used to clear blocked drains

  2. a device or part of a machine that has a plunging or thrusting motion; piston

  3. informal a reckless gambler

"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

Etymology

Origin of plunger

First recorded in 1605–15; plunge + -er 1

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.

You can’t just burn you house down and walk away, so you grab a plunger.

From Slate • Apr. 7, 2025

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

At the speed dating event, she was partnered with Tommy Ashman, 25, an entrepreneur and first-time plunger, and described the ice bath as a bonding experience.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 11, 2023

His wife and son didn’t know CPR, so in desperation they grabbed a toilet plunger to get his heart going until an ambulance showed up.

From New York Times • Jun. 15, 2023

She sticks a funny plunger into the end of the horn.

From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari

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.