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
Peter Wayne Moe, Longreads, 26 Mar. 2026
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
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
Carrera now plucks the melody in single notes.
—Peter Wayne Moe, Longreads, 26 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plucks
Noun
-
The ships represented by red shapes are tankers, while green shapes represent cargo ships and light blue ones are tugs, service or military vessels.—
Dana Karni,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2026
-
In space, the gravitational tugs from passing planets act like those currents.—
Patrick M. Shober,
The Conversation,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
For the United States, the blockade squeezes Iran’s already weakened economy by denying it long-term cash flow.—
Michelle L. Price,
Fortune,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The waves, which were first used in Boston in 2011, help spread things out so that runners don’t have to walk after the start, when Main Street in Hopkinton squeezes to just 39 feet wide.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
His workout also consists of cable pulls, hanging leg raises, ab wheel rollouts and more.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Swapping cabinet knobs, drawer pulls and towel hooks is a fast way to modernize the space.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Sacbee.com,
13 Apr. 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
-
Nothing stings more than seeing a shipping fee tacked on top of an order that was already a splurge.—
Hannah Chubb,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Apr. 2026
-
This scene stings with recognition.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 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
-
So people are just getting this enormous number of at bats in the hopes of trying to find the thing that sticks.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Lohan's day of filming included a version that sticks closely to the original blueprint.—
Daisy Maldonado,
InStyle,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Robot beats elite human players at table tennis A robot beat elite human players at table tennis, a landmark victory in a competitive sport.—
Semafor Events,
semafor.com,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Take, for example, Republican James Fishback, who, according to recent polling from Keystone Analytics, beats Jolly by almost five points in a head-to-head matchup.—
Thomas C. Shank,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plucks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plucks. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
