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/plʌk/
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Ireland, Northern-England:
/plʊk/
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rhymes with -ʌk
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CMU ARPABET:
P L AH1 K
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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An instance of plucking or pulling sharply.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
Those tiny birds are hardly worth the tedious pluck.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
The lungs, heart with trachea and often oesophagus removed from slaughtered animals.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Guts, nerve, fortitude or persistence.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, informal, uncountable
Examples
He didn't get far with the attempt, but you have to admire his pluck.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: audacity, balls, bield, boldhead, boldness, bravehood, braveness, bravery, courage, courageousness, daring, fearlessness, grit, guts, heart, intrepidity, intrepidness, mood, nerve, ovaries, pecker, pluck, spunk, steel, undauntedness, valour
Antonyms: none provided
Cheap wine.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: slang, uncountable
Qualifier: African-American Vernacular
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: plonk
Antonyms: none provided
To pull something sharply; to pull something out
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
She plucked the phone from her bag and dialled.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
To take or remove (someone) quickly from a particular place or situation.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
To play (a single string on a musical instrument) by pulling and then releasing it, such as on a guitar.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music
Examples
Whereas a piano strikes the string, a harpsichord plucks it.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
To remove feathers from (a bird).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: defeather
Antonyms: none provided
To rob, steal from; to cheat or swindle (someone).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
To play a string instrument pizzicato.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
Plucking a bow instrument may cause a string to break.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
To pull or twitch sharply.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
to pluck at somebody's sleeve
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
To reject (a student) after they fail an examination for a degree.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, obsolete, transitive
Qualifier: university slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Of a glacier: to transport individual pieces of bedrock by means of gradual erosion through freezing and thawing.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
the act of pulling and releasing a taut cord
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: pull, pulling
the trait of showing courage and determination in spite of possible loss or injury
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: gutsiness, pluckiness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: fearlessness
look for and gather
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
pick mushrooms pick flowers
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: pick, cull
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: gather, garner, collect, pull together
Narrower terms: mushroom, berry
strip of feathers
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
pull a chicken pluck the capon
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: pull, tear, deplume, deplumate, displume
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: strip
pull lightly but sharply with a plucking motion
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
he plucked the strings of his mandolin
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: plunk, pick
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: pull, draw, force
Narrower terms: twang
pull or pull out sharply
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
pluck the flowers off the bush
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: tweak, pull off, pick off
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: pull, draw, force
Narrower terms: tweeze
rip off; ask an unreasonable price
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: overcharge, soak, surcharge, gazump, fleece, plume, rob, hook
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: cheat, rip off, chisel
Narrower terms: extort, squeeze, rack, gouge, wring
sell something to or obtain something from by energetic and especially underhanded activity
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: hustle, roll
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: steal
From Middle English plucken, plukken, plockien, from Old English pluccian, ploccian (“to pluck, pull away, tear”), also Old English plyċċan ("to pluck, pull, snatch; pluck with desire"), from Proto-West Germanic *plukkōn, from Proto-Germanic *plukkōną, *plukkijaną (“to pluck”), of uncertain and disputed origin. Perhaps related to Old English pullian (“to pull, draw; pluck off; snatch”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian plukje (“to pluck”), West Frisian plôkje (“to pick, pluck”), Dutch plukken (“to pluck”), Limburgish plógte (“to pluck”), Low German plukken (“to pluck”), German pflücken (“to pluck, pick”), Danish and Norwegian plukke (“to pick”), Swedish plocka (“to pick, pluck, cull”), Icelandic plokka, plukka (“to pluck, pull”). More at pull. An alternative etymology suggests Proto-Germanic *plukkōną, *plukkijaną may have been borrowed from an assumed Vulgar Latin *pilūc(i)cāre, a derivative of Latin pilāre (“deprive of hair, make bald, depilate”), from pilus (“hair”). The Oxford English Dictionary, however, finds difficulties with this and cites gaps in historical evidence. The noun sense of "heart, liver, and lights of an animal" comes from it being plucked out of the carcass after the animal is killed; the sense of "fortitude, boldness" derives from this meaning, originally being a boxing slang denoting a prize-ring, with semantic development from "heart", the symbol of courage, to "fortitude, boldness".
Across languages
Translations
206 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian :
дърпане
(dǎrpane)
— instance of plucking
Bulgarian :
скубане
(skubane)
— instance of plucking
Czech :
škubnutí
— instance of plucking
Czech :
trhnutí
— instance of plucking
Dutch :
pluk
— instance of plucking
Dutch :
gepluk
— instance of plucking
Dutch :
plukken
— instance of plucking
Latvian :
plūkšana
— instance of plucking
Portuguese :
depenagem
— instance of plucking
Portuguese :
arranca
— instance of plucking
Romanian :
smulgere
— instance of plucking
Romanian :
jumulire
— instance of plucking
Bulgarian :
карантия
(karantija)
— offal from the trunk of an animal
Czech :
droby
— offal from the trunk of an animal
Dutch :
ingewanden
— offal from the trunk of an animal
Dutch :
slachtafval
— offal from the trunk of an animal
French :
abats
— offal from the trunk of an animal
Hungarian :
belsőség
— offal from the trunk of an animal
Italian :
corata
— offal from the trunk of an animal
Italian :
coratella
— offal from the trunk of an animal
Navajo :
ajéí
— offal from the trunk of an animal
Polish :
podroby
— offal from the trunk of an animal
Portuguese :
fressura
— offal from the trunk of an animal
Romanian :
măruntaie
— offal from the trunk of an animal
Russian :
потроха
(potroxa)
— offal from the trunk of an animal
Serbo-Croatian :
utroba
— offal from the trunk of an animal
Serbo-Croatian :
drob
— offal from the trunk of an animal
Catalan :
perseverància
— nerve, fortitude, persistence
Czech :
kuráž
— nerve, fortitude, persistence
Czech :
odvaha
— nerve, fortitude, persistence
Dutch :
moed
— nerve, fortitude, persistence
Dutch :
doorzettingsvermogen
— nerve, fortitude, persistence
Finnish :
sinnikkyys
— nerve, fortitude, persistence
French :
persévérance
— nerve, fortitude, persistence
Hungarian :
bátorság
— nerve, fortitude, persistence
Icelandic :
táp
— nerve, fortitude, persistence
Italian :
perseveranza
— nerve, fortitude, persistence
Italian :
coraggio
— nerve, fortitude, persistence
Italian :
nervi saldi
— nerve, fortitude, persistence
Italian :
fegato
— nerve, fortitude, persistence
Māori :
kiriūka
— nerve, fortitude, persistence
Polish :
hart ducha
— nerve, fortitude, persistence
Polish :
odwaga
— nerve, fortitude, persistence
Portuguese :
fôlego
— nerve, fortitude, persistence
Romanian :
perseverență
— nerve, fortitude, persistence
Russian :
насто́йчивость
(nastójčivostʹ)
— nerve, fortitude, persistence
Russian :
неотсту́пность
(neotstúpnostʹ)
— nerve, fortitude, persistence
Russian :
упо́рство
(upórstvo)
— nerve, fortitude, persistence
Spanish :
perseverancia
— nerve, fortitude, persistence
Turkish :
yiğitlik
— nerve, fortitude, persistence
Albanian :
nduk
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Southern Altai :
јулар
(ǰular)
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Arabic :
قَطَفَ
(qaṭafa)
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Arabic :
قطف
(gɪtʕɐf)
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Armenian :
պոկել
(pokel)
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Armenian :
փետել
(pʻetel)
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Assamese :
পাৰা
(para)
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Bulgarian :
късам
(kǎsam)
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Chinese Mandarin :
摘
(zhāi)
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Czech :
vytrhnout
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Czech :
utrhnout
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Danish :
plukke
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Dutch :
plukken
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Dutch :
grabbelen
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Dutch :
grijpen
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Dutch :
rukken
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Esperanto :
pluki
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Finnish :
nykäistä
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Finnish :
kiskaista
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
French :
tirer
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Galician :
tirar
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Galician :
depenar
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
German :
pflücken
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
German :
abrupfen
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Ancient Greek :
τίλλω
(tíllō)
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Hebrew :
קטף
(qatáf)
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Hungarian :
kitép
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Hungarian :
kiszakít
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Hungarian :
leszakít
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Icelandic :
plokka
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Japanese :
摘む
(tsumu)
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Japanese :
もぐ
(mogu)
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Kyrgyz :
жулуу
(juluu)
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Latin :
carpō
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Latin :
vellō
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Latvian :
plūkt
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Latvian :
izraut
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Lithuanian :
skinti
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Lithuanian :
rėkšti
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Māori :
kape
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Māori :
kato
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Māori :
hīkaro
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Māori :
kopikopi
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Māori :
huti
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Māori :
whaki
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Māori :
whawhaki
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Māori :
whakiwhaki
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Māori :
tīkaro
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Central Sierra Miwok :
ṭupum·yufe
(hair)
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Nahuatl :
huihuitla
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Norwegian :
plukke
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Norwegian :
røske
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Norwegian Nynorsk :
plukka
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Old Church Slavonic :
чесати
(česati)
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Oromo :
rifuu
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Polish :
wyszarpnąć
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Polish :
zbierać
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Polish :
zebrać
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Portuguese :
arrancar
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Romanian :
trage
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Romanian :
scoate
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Russian :
выдёргивать
(vydjórgivatʹ)
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Russian :
вы́дернуть
(výdernutʹ)
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Samoan :
ʻape
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Somali :
rifid
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Tamil :
பறி
(paṟi)
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Turkish :
koparmak
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Turkish :
yolmak
— to pull something sharply; to pull something out
Chinese Mandarin :
彈撥 /弹拨
(tánbō)
— music: to play a single string by pulling and then releasing it
Czech :
brnkat
— music: to play a single string by pulling and then releasing it
Dutch :
plukken
— music: to play a single string by pulling and then releasing it
Finnish :
näppäillä
— music: to play a single string by pulling and then releasing it
French :
pincer
— music: to play a single string by pulling and then releasing it
German :
zupfen
— music: to play a single string by pulling and then releasing it
German :
schlagen
— music: to play a single string by pulling and then releasing it
Hungarian :
penget
— music: to play a single string by pulling and then releasing it
Italian :
pizzicare
— music: to play a single string by pulling and then releasing it
Malay :
memetik
— music: to play a single string by pulling and then releasing it
Māori :
kato
— music: to play a single string by pulling and then releasing it
Norwegian :
plukke
— music: to play a single string by pulling and then releasing it
Polish :
brzdęknąć
— music: to play a single string by pulling and then releasing it
Portuguese :
tocar
— music: to play a single string by pulling and then releasing it
Portuguese :
palhetar
— music: to play a single string by pulling and then releasing it
Portuguese :
ferir
— music: to play a single string by pulling and then releasing it
Romanian :
ciupi
— music: to play a single string by pulling and then releasing it
Russian :
щипа́ть
(ščipátʹ)
— music: to play a single string by pulling and then releasing it
Russian :
перебира́ть
(perebirátʹ)
— music: to play a single string by pulling and then releasing it
Russian :
игра́ть
(igrátʹ)
— music: to play a single string by pulling and then releasing it
Slovene :
ubirati
— music: to play a single string by pulling and then releasing it
Spanish :
herir
— music: to play a single string by pulling and then releasing it
Swedish :
plocka
— music: to play a single string by pulling and then releasing it
Armenian :
փետրել
(pʻetrel)
— to remove feathers from a bird
Armenian :
փետել
(pʻetel)
— to remove feathers from a bird
Bulgarian :
оскубвам
(oskubvam)
— to remove feathers from a bird
Cherokee :
ᎫᏯᎩᎠ
(guyagia)
— to remove feathers from a bird
Czech :
škubat
— to remove feathers from a bird
Czech :
oškubat
— to remove feathers from a bird
Dutch :
plukken
— to remove feathers from a bird
Dutch :
pluimen
— to remove feathers from a bird
Finnish :
kyniä
— to remove feathers from a bird
French :
plumer
— to remove feathers from a bird
Galician :
depenar
— to remove feathers from a bird
Galician :
depenicar
— to remove feathers from a bird
German :
rupfen
— to remove feathers from a bird
German :
ausrupfen
— to remove feathers from a bird
Hungarian :
megkopaszt
— to remove feathers from a bird
Ido :
desplumizar
— to remove feathers from a bird
Irish :
cluimhrigh
— to remove feathers from a bird
Italian :
spennare
— to remove feathers from a bird
Italian :
spennacchiare
— to remove feathers from a bird
Italian :
spiumare
— to remove feathers from a bird
Latin :
vellō
— to remove feathers from a bird
Latvian :
plūkt
— to remove feathers from a bird
Macedonian :
скубнува
(skubnuva)
— to remove feathers from a bird
Macedonian :
скубне
(skubne)
— to remove feathers from a bird
Māori :
huti
— to remove feathers from a bird
Māori :
huhuti
— to remove feathers from a bird
Māori :
hutihuti
— to remove feathers from a bird
Norwegian :
plukke
— to remove feathers from a bird
Norwegian :
ribbe
— to remove feathers from a bird
Norwegian Bokmål :
plukke
— to remove feathers from a bird
Norwegian Bokmål :
ribbe
— to remove feathers from a bird
Occitan :
esplumassar
— to remove feathers from a bird
Persian :
پر کندن
(par kandan)
— to remove feathers from a bird
Polish :
skubać
— to remove feathers from a bird
Polish :
oskubać
— to remove feathers from a bird
Portuguese :
depenar
— to remove feathers from a bird
Romanian :
smulge
— to remove feathers from a bird
Romanian :
jumuli
— to remove feathers from a bird
Romanian :
peni
— to remove feathers from a bird
Romanian :
scărmăna
— to remove feathers from a bird
Russian :
ощи́пывать
(oščípyvatʹ)
— to remove feathers from a bird
Russian :
ощипа́ть
(oščipátʹ)
— to remove feathers from a bird
Russian :
щипа́ть
(ščipátʹ)
— to remove feathers from a bird
Slovak :
šklbať
— to remove feathers from a bird
Slovene :
skubsti
— to remove feathers from a bird
Slovene :
oskubati
— to remove feathers from a bird
Spanish :
desplumar
— to remove feathers from a bird
Swedish :
plocka
— to remove feathers from a bird
Turkish :
yolmak
— to remove feathers from a bird
Vietnamese :
nhổ
— to remove feathers from a bird
Bulgarian :
ограбвам
(ograbvam)
— to rob, steal forcibly
Dutch :
kaalplukken
— to rob, steal forcibly
Dutch :
pluimen
— to rob, steal forcibly
French :
voler
— to rob, steal forcibly
Norwegian :
loppe
— to rob, steal forcibly
Polish :
rabować
— to rob, steal forcibly
Polish :
obrabować
— to rob, steal forcibly
Polish :
grabić
— to rob, steal forcibly
Polish :
ograbić
— to rob, steal forcibly
Portuguese :
depenar
— to rob, steal forcibly
Romanian :
jefui
— to rob, steal forcibly
Romanian :
prăda
— to rob, steal forcibly
Romanian :
jecmăni
— to rob, steal forcibly
Russian :
гра́бить
(grábitʹ)
— to rob, steal forcibly
Russian :
огра́бить
(ográbitʹ)
— to rob, steal forcibly