plunger
Americannoun
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plungers
plural
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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, plumber's friend, 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.
See Examples For:
One playworker noticed a child standing on a manhole with a plunger and watched quietly to make sure he didn’t throw the object.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
In my mind, a fire extinguisher often gets put into the same “essentials” bucket as a plunger for your house: You should probably buy one before you need it.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Because water resists compression, pulling the plunger creates increasing resistance.
From Science Daily ● May 13, 2026
The plunger of the syringe attached to the needle would be pulled back and, hopefully, urine quickly accumulated.
From Slate ● Jan. 29, 2025
The masked man pulled the hose over to the center rat hole and pressed the plunger over it, covering it completely.
From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien
We don’t know who was pushing the plungers.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
Cold plungers tend to speak in the evangelical tone of the convert.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
Housebound plungers deprived of access to movies, live sports and other forms of collective entertainment played at investing in meme stocks such as GameStop and dogecoins and other weird cryptocurrencies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2024
People of all ages braved the 46° waters of Pontiac Bay to celebrate 2023’s arrival, some seasoned plungers and others splashing in for the first time ever.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 1, 2023
My feet swell big and heavy like plungers, but I drag them across the linoleum floor straight center where Uncle wants to show off the new dance we learned.
From "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
