plank

[ plangk ]
See synonyms for: plankplankedplankingplanks on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a long, flat piece of timber, thicker than a board.

  2. lumber in such pieces; planking.

  1. something to stand on or to cling to for support.

  2. any one of the stated principles or objectives comprising the political platform of a party campaigning for election: They fought for a plank supporting a nuclear freeze.

verb (used with object)
  1. to lay, cover, or furnish with planks.

  2. to bake or broil and serve (steak, fish, chicken, etc.) on a wooden board.

Idioms about plank

  1. walk the plank,

    • to be forced, as by pirates, to walk to one's death by stepping off a plank extending from the ship's side over the water.

    • to relinquish something, as a position, office, etc., under compulsion: We suspect that the new vice-president walked the plank because of a personality clash.

Origin of plank

1
1275–1325; Middle English planke<Old North French <Latin planca board, plank. See planch

Other words from plank

  • plankless, adjective
  • planklike, adjective
  • un·planked, adjective

Words Nearby plank

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use plank in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for plank (1 of 2)

plank1

/ (plæŋk) /


noun
  1. a stout length of sawn timber

  2. something that supports or sustains

  1. one of the policies in a political party's programme

  2. walk the plank to be forced by pirates to walk to one's death off the end of a plank jutting out over the water from the side of a ship

  3. British slang a stupid person; idiot

verb(tr)
  1. to cover or provide (an area) with planks

  2. to beat (meat) to make it tender

  1. mainly US and Canadian to cook or serve (meat or fish) on a special wooden board

Origin of plank

1
C13: from Old Norman French planke, from Late Latin planca board, from plancus flat-footed; probably related to Greek plax flat surface

British Dictionary definitions for plank (2 of 2)

plank2

/ (plæŋk) /


verb
  1. (tr) Scot to hide; cache

Origin of plank

2
C19: a variant of plant

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with plank

plank

see walk the plank.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.