pluck

American  

[pluhk] / plʌk /

verb (used with object)

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)

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

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

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

Example Sentences

My stomach twists when she says that, and her wide, almond-shaped, coffee-brown eyes, framed by her perfectly plucked eyebrows, bore into mine.

From Literature

Nine plucked a burnt matchstick from the rubbish and gnawed on the end.

From Literature

After “Let ’Em In,” McCartney asked his band member Brian Ray to show off the song’s all-important bass line: a single note plucked over and over and over again.

From Los Angeles Times

The condition causes him to obsessively pluck his beard or eyebrows when anxious or bored.

From BBC

Sticking only with the U.S. and just plucking a ticker symbol out of a hat would put the probability of picking the coming century’s champ at barely 0.02%.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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