as in tugs
the act or an instance of applying force on something so that it moves in the direction of the force
a quick pluck pulled the hair right out
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in squeezes
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
the Internet opened up a whole new medium for con artists to pluck the gullible
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of plucks
IEEE Spectrum, 3 Feb. 2026
From the metallic sheen of a beetle to the delicacy of a butterfly, Sandini described how Materia Futura plucks inspiration straight from nature.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 30 Jan. 2026
Suddenly, Jeff Parker plucks a sighing six-note guitar run, dropping his shoulders into a solo section that carries the tune to its swooning conclusion.
—Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 20 Dec. 2025
As Natalie walks away from Shayne, possibly for good, and as Venus and some entity named Gabby lunge for each other, Katie Maloney Schwartz Maloney plucks out her earbuds, pulls her sunglasses off her cunty little bob, closes her copy of The Shards, and packs up her bag.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
The Lizzie McGuire star, 38, then plucks a pair of Munchkins from their box.
—Erin Clements, PEOPLE, 16 Dec. 2025
The dog jumps up and plucks the burger from her—a move that left viewers stunned and amused by the canine's flawless execution.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
There may be even greater reasons to put an ad that plucks the heartstrings in front of a broader crowd.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
The first layer, called the Level-1 Trigger, or L1T, harvests 100,000 events per second, and the second layer, called the High-Level Trigger, or HLT, plucks 1,000 of those events to save for later analysis.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Feb. 2026
From the metallic sheen of a beetle to the delicacy of a butterfly, Sandini described how Materia Futura plucks inspiration straight from nature.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 30 Jan. 2026
Suddenly, Jeff Parker plucks a sighing six-note guitar run, dropping his shoulders into a solo section that carries the tune to its swooning conclusion.
—Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 20 Dec. 2025
As Natalie walks away from Shayne, possibly for good, and as Venus and some entity named Gabby lunge for each other, Katie Maloney Schwartz Maloney plucks out her earbuds, pulls her sunglasses off her cunty little bob, closes her copy of The Shards, and packs up her bag.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
The Lizzie McGuire star, 38, then plucks a pair of Munchkins from their box.
—Erin Clements, PEOPLE, 16 Dec. 2025
The dog jumps up and plucks the burger from her—a move that left viewers stunned and amused by the canine's flawless execution.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
There may be even greater reasons to put an ad that plucks the heartstrings in front of a broader crowd.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plucks
Noun
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As part of its support service to the Royal Navy, Serco intends to purchase 24 vessels, including a mix of ASD tugs, reverse-stern-drive tugs, pilot boats, barges, and crane barges, for which the contract was awarded to Dutch defence manufacturer Damen.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Jan. 2026
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These motorcycles were so well-built that they were even employed in both World Wars, mainly as dispatch bikes and sidecar tugs for the British armed forces.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
All this requires a lot of power, which puts a strain on the grid and squeezes local resources.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Instead, in order to protect their identities, their words are read aloud during re-enactments by powerhouse actresses such as Emma Thompson (who squeezes herself beneath an axle) and Kate Dickie (performing, as the nurse, on all fours on Kenmure Street itself).—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Schrader suggests wiping down cabinetry knobs or pulls, light switches, and doorknobs at least once a month to make your home more sanitary.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
5 Feb. 2026
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The claim is that being around it for years could weaken tendons and soft tissue, leading to more ACL tears, Achilles injuries, hamstring pulls and similar issues.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Compared to the behemoth Acela, which hustles hundreds of thousands of riders between Boston, New York City, and Washington DC each month, Amtrak's Mardi Gras line is downright petite—just two 58-seat coaches, plus a café car and a 14-seat Business Class car.—
Kara Newman,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Feb. 2026
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Most notably, watch here as backup center Oso Ighodaro shuts down Jalen Brunson’s final attempt to tie the score, then Grayson Allen deflects his pass, hustles into the backcourt and banks it off Mikal Bridges’ face and out of bounds.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Of Iran’s many squandered possibilities, the waste of our soft power stings the most.—
Arash Azizi,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
-
This stings less thanks to the healthy variety of all-timers currently in the field.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Inspired by real stories, Eva Marcille portrays a wife who miraculously cheats death after her husband’s (Tyler Lepley) betrayal in Pushed Off a Plane and Survived airing on February 28.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
30 Jan. 2026
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Blashill wants the Blackhawks to be a fast-pressure team at both ends of the rink, one that attacks vertically but never cheats for offense.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Progress sticks when compassion ensures that everyone gets heard.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
6 Feb. 2026
-
But this is not the substance of the speech that sticks.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The heart beats in the kitchen and family room, which flow to one another but still maintain enough of a separation to make each space feel distinct.—
Miriam Schwartz,
Boston Herald,
6 Feb. 2026
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And in Los Angeles, the temperature on Wednesday reached a record high of 88 degrees, which beats their typical highs in July and August.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plucks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plucks. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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