plunk down

verb

plunked down or plonked down; plunking down or plonking down; plunks down

intransitive verb

: to drop abruptly : settle into position

transitive verb

1

a

: to put down usually firmly or abruptly

plunked the items down on the counter

b

: to settle (oneself) into position

plunked himself down on the bench

2

: to pay out

reluctant to plunk down the money for a new car

Examples of plunk down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ended the federal ban on plunking down cash to pick winners and losers and spreads and place all kinds of exotic prop bets, leading to a rush of states, now 38 and counting, to get in the game. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 22 Dec. 2024

The resort features four pools (three of which are heated and one that is open seasonally), all of which make for an ideal spot to plunk down for a day or even a whole vacation. —Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 6 Dec. 2024

One reason for the shift, analysts say, is that many buyers who are willing to plunk down nearly $50,000 for a new vehicle had already done so in the past few years. —Tom Krisher, The Denver Post, 22 Oct. 2024

With Biggest ‘Supermoon’ Of 2024 But the literal fortunes of OPM companies turned so dire so quickly that, not three years later, 2U, the company that plunked down $800 million for a whimsy acquisition, filed for bankruptcy. —Derek Newton, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense