Illustration of plume
- P plume 2a
1
: a feather of a bird: such as
a
: a large conspicuous or showy feather
b
c
: plumage
d
: a cluster of distinctive feathers
2
a
: material (such as a feather, cluster of feathers, or a tuft of hair) worn as an ornament
b
: a token of honor or prowess : prize
3
: something resembling a feather (as in shape, appearance, or lightness): such as
a
: a plumose appendage of a plant
b
: an elongated and usually open and mobile column or band (as of smoke, exhaust gases, or blowing snow)
c
: an animal structure having a main shaft bearing many hairs or filamentous parts
especially
: a full bushy tail
d
: any of several columns of molten rock rising from the earth's lower mantle that are theorized to drive tectonic plate movement and to underlie hot spots
plumed; pluming
1
a
: to provide or deck with feathers
b
: to array showily
2
: to indulge (oneself) in pride with an obvious or vain display of self-satisfaction
3
of a bird
a
: to preen and arrange the feathers of (itself)
b
: to preen and arrange (feathers)
Synonyms
Examples of plume in a Sentence
Noun
a hat with bright ostrich plumes
the Nobel Prize for Literature is the plume that all authors covet
Verb
that jerk plumes himself on his supposed athletic skills
Recent Examples on the Web
Ana Melgar, CNN, 7 Feb. 2025
My meandering explanation was cut short by pressing business: the firefighters noticed a small plume of smoke rising from the grounds of the house next door.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2025
Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2025
Videos from the scene of the crash show dark gray smoke pluming out of the building the plane reportedly crashed into, and firefighters work to put out flames around the crash sight.
—Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for plume 
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Noun
The aircraft skidded along the highway, narrowly missing a long queue of morning traffic, and was followed by a thick plume of smoke.
—Ana Melgar, CNN, 7 Feb. 2025
My meandering explanation was cut short by pressing business: the firefighters noticed a small plume of smoke rising from the grounds of the house next door.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2025
Verb
Both facilities, campuses that are part of the J. Paul Getty Museum, have managed to keep their revered collections of art, antiques and archives safe from the recent blazes and pluming smoke.
—Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2025
Videos from the scene of the crash show dark gray smoke pluming out of the building the plane reportedly crashed into, and firefighters work to put out flames around the crash sight.
—Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for plume
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Dictionary Entries Near plume
Cite this Entry
“Plume.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plume. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
plume
1 of 2 noun1
: a feather of a bird
especially
: one that is large and showy
2
a
: a feather or tuft of feathers worn as an ornament (as on a hat)
b
: a deserved prize or reward
3
: something that resembles a feather (as in shape or lightness)
a plume of smoke
plumy
adjective
ˈplü-mē
plume
2 of 2 verb
plumed; pluming
1
: to provide or adorn with feathers
2
: to act with too much pride in oneself
plumed himself on his swimming skill
3
: to arrange the feathers of : preen
a bird pluming itself
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