pluck

1 of 2

verb

plucked; plucking; plucks

transitive verb

1
: to pull or pick off or out
2
a
: to remove something (such as hairs) from by or as if by plucking
pluck one's eyebrows
b
: rob, fleece
3
: to move, remove, or separate forcibly or abruptly
plucked the child from the middle of the street
4
a
: to pick, pull, or grasp at
b
: to play by sounding the strings with the fingers or a pick

intransitive verb

: to make a sharp pull or twitch
plucker noun

pluck

2 of 2

noun

1
: an act or instance of plucking or pulling
2
: the heart, liver, lungs, and trachea of a slaughtered animal especially as an item of food
3
: courageous readiness to fight or continue against odds : dogged resolution

Examples of pluck in a Sentence

Verb My sister plucked a white hair from my head. The hunter plucked the bird's feathers. plucking petals off a flower Firefighters plucked the child from the top floor of the burning building. He'd been plucked from obscurity and thrust into the national spotlight. a cat that was plucked off the city's streets last winter He plucked a stone out of the river. Noun It takes pluck to do what she did. She showed pluck in getting up on stage.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Lue’s youngest player is Cam Christie, a 19-year-old guard the Clippers plucked out of Minnesota in the second round of the draft. Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2024 But when a handful of Marshall musicians gathered recently, Hubner was able to pluck some tunes in unison with his community. Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2024
Noun
The opening acoustic guitar plucks have little low-mid resonance or string texture in the higher frequencies. PCMAG, 8 Aug. 2024 The opening acoustic guitar plucks receive a good sense of resonance and clean, clear string texture. PCMAG, 10 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for pluck 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pluck.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English pluccian; akin to Middle High German pflücken to pluck

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pluck was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near pluck

Cite this Entry

“Pluck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pluck. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

pluck

1 of 2 verb
1
a
: to pull or pick off or out
pluck a flower
b
: to remove something (as feathers) from by or as if by plucking
pluck a chicken
2
: to move or separate forcibly : snatch
plucked the child from danger
3
: to play by pulling the strings
pluck a guitar
plucker noun

pluck

2 of 2 noun
1
: a sharp pull : tug
2

More from Merriam-Webster on pluck

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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