pluck

American  

[pluhk] / plʌk /

verb (used with object)

• plucks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• plucked,
  past participle,  past
• plucking
  present participle

1. to pull off or out from the place of growth, as fruit, flowers, feathers, etc..

   to pluck feathers from a chicken.

2. to give a pull at; grasp.

   to pluck someone's sleeve.

   Synonyms:

   tug

3. to pull with sudden force or with a jerk.

   Synonyms:

   rip, tear, yank

4. to pull or move by force (often followed by away, off, orout ).

5. to remove the feathers, hair, etc., from by pulling.

   to pluck a chicken.

6. Slang. to rob, plunder, or fleece.

7. to sound (the strings of a musical instrument) by pulling at them with the fingers or a plectrum.

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verb (used without object)

• plucks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• plucked,
  past participle,  past
• plucking
  present participle

1. to pull or tug sharply (often followed byat ).

2. to snatch (often followed byat ).

noun

1. act of plucking; a tug.

2. the heart, liver, and lungs, especially of an animal used for food.

3. courage or resolution in the face of difficulties.

   Synonyms:

   nerve, mettle, determination, boldness, bravery

verb phrase

1. pluck up

   1. to eradicate; uproot.

   2. to summon up one's courage; rouse one's spirits.

      He always plucked up at the approach of danger. She was a stranger in the town, but, plucking up her courage, she soon made friends.

pluck British  

/ plʌk /

verb

1. (tr) to pull off (feathers, fruit, etc) from (a fowl, tree, etc)

2. to pull or tug

3. archaic (tr; foll by off, away, etc) to pull (something) forcibly or violently (from something or someone)

4. (tr) to sound (the strings) of (a musical instrument) with the fingers, a plectrum, etc

5. (tr) another word for strip 1

6. slang (tr) to fleece or swindle

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noun

1. courage, usually in the face of difficulties or hardship

2. a sudden pull or tug

3. the heart, liver, and lungs, esp of an animal used for food

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• plucker
  noun
• half-plucked
  adjective
• unplucked
  adjective
• well-plucked
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• plucking
  present
• plucked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pluck
  simple
• plucks
  simple
• have plucked
  perfect
• has plucked
  perfect
• am plucking
  progressive
• are plucking
  progressive
• is plucking
  progressive
• have been plucking
  perfect progressive
• has been plucking
  perfect progressive

Past

• plucked
  simple
• had plucked
  perfect
• was plucking
  progressive
• were plucking
  progressive
• had been plucking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pluck
  simple
• will have plucked
  perfect
• will be plucking
  progressive
• will have been plucking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of pluck

before 1000; Middle English plukken (v.), Old English pluccian, cognate with Middle Low German plucken; akin to Dutch plukken, German pflücken

Explanation

To pluck is to pick or pull a single item out of many, like a flower or a hair. As a noun, pluck is energy or enthusiasm, even when things are looking grim. Don't pluck only the best cherries off the tree: that's cherry-picking! Before you cook a goose, you need to pluck its feathers. If it looks like your goose is cooked, however, then show some pluck, and figure out a way to save yourself. Some characters who are famous for showing pluck include the Artful Dodger, Little Orphan Annie, and Benji the dog. They all kept their chins up and kept on trying, even when things looked really dark.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pluck plucks plucked plucking

Ample low-hanging reform fruit is available for any politician who wants to pluck it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

But don’t let the relatable career-girl pluck of the movie dilute the fact that this song is pissed off about capitalism, even as its hooks make the grind of working life more bearable.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

He studied hydraulics, civil engineering and Shakespeare at the public library and impressed everyone with his pluck and problem-solving prowess.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Pickers pluck items from shelves in a prescribed sequence while drivers double-check bagged orders before speeding off on scooters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026

After dinner the men would sing, accompanied by tin whistles and the bittersweet pluck of mandolin strings.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

She plucks them, then buries them in silica sand for up to two weeks to drain any moisture.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

He frequently plucks from his tremendous word hoard gems that will send you to the dictionary: bonxie, fankle, rupestral, stramash, zawn.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

Carpenter plucks Cricket from arts college and its meaningless pontificating to his “atelier in the corn,” a ramshackle Victorian where Cricket learns how to transmute what he sees with color and light.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026

And it plucks a nerve in a country still scarred by its history of militarism.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026

She runs her fingers across the vials, plucks one filled with violet liquid, and yanks out the stopper with a loud pop.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

Not surprisingly, he is plucked for a covert mission that involves photographing secret Soviet bases from a tricked-out stealth jet.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

Picked by Aboriginals for tens of thousands of years, wattleseed, plucked from the native Acacia plants, is high in protein and traditionally roasted over an open fire and ground down to make bread.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

As the smoke from France's worst wildfire in over 75 years rose over the Bassin d'Arcachon, a pair of nearby firefighters tucked into a plate of oysters plucked from the bay west of Bordeaux.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

The following track, “Death Wish,” is about the torment of a new love gone bad, and it unfolds over plucked acoustic guitars and a distant bass drum that sounds like a heartbeat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

Back at the shelter, he plucked and spitted the woodgrouse, and set it to roast over the fire.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Truist Financial TFC -0.60%decrease; red down pointing triangle has hired Michael Lyons as its next president and chief executive, plucking the executive from Fiserv.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026

Scotland's third try was the pick of the bunch, with replacement Scott plucking Meryl Smith's pinpoint kick from the air and effortlessly stepping Kayleigh Powell to put daylight between the scores.

From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2026

It bursts with insights that mix journalistic acumen with gossip, backed by a score generously seasoned with mischievous violin string plucking.

From Salon ● Mar. 14, 2026

She’s over wasting time plucking chin hairs, searching for brain fog-induced lost reading glasses and — most of all — withholding her opinions so as not to offend others.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 20, 2026

Vola looked up from the chicken she was plucking.

From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker

Related Words

• clutch
• cull
• harvest
• snatch
• strum
• yank