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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of plucks
Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 6 Mar. 2026
Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Mar. 2026
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
Noun
The opening guitar plucks received loads of low-mid resonance and crisp string textures, and when the track fully kicked in, each element in the busy mix got plenty of attention and detail.
—Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 6 Mar. 2026
Verb
But if Rick later plucks something from behind that rock at the fire, are others going to start poking around looking for stuff?
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Mar. 2026
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
-
Scheduling tugs, fuel barges, crane operators, drayage trucks and drivers is complex indeed.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The ship is moved in, slowly and carefully; tugs help, and so does the shipyard crew.—
Carl Nolte,
San Francisco Chronicle,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The pencil-thin DQ Tower squeezes a full home into a very slender footprint, while the EONE XL takes a wider prefab approach to the same basic challenge.—
Stefan Ionescu
March 30,
New Atlas,
30 Mar. 2026
-
There’s no end to the war in sight after one month as Iran squeezes the global economy.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Emotional rug-pulls arrive in the form of happy surprises that stretch the third act too long and test the limits of our disbelief.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Emotional rug-pulls arrive in the form of happy surprises that stretch the third act too long and test the limits of our disbelief.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In games like Tuesday, when that deep postseason run seems realistic, UCLA pops the ball around on offense and communicates and hustles to overcome its deficiencies on defense.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
The team had the best record in the major leagues as recently as June 13 of last season before collapsing and missing the postseason — a collapse that still stings for fans.—
Ryan Brennan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Mar. 2026
-
And that’s the part that stings.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
Once the media sticks its oar in, the real reason for the robbery emerges by degrees.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Fuji sticks close to its playbook and delivers a camera that's simple to use, captures instant photos with the same analog aesthetic that has made Instax the instant film of choice for going on twenty years.—
Jim Fisher,
PC Magazine,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Enraged, Misha's boyfriend barrels across the room and beats Charlie up, and Emma flees the banquet hall.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
-
But nothing beats their monthly visits to the High Museum of Art in Midtown Atlanta.—
Monique John,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plucks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plucks. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
