1
as in pull
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
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2
as in courage
the strength of mind that enables a person to endure pain or hardship
it takes pluck to survive a crippling car accident and still go on to become successful
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to squeeze
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
the Internet opened up a whole new medium for con artists to pluck the gullible
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of pluck
PCMAG, 8 Aug. 2024
The opening acoustic guitar plucks receive a good sense of resonance and clean, clear string texture.
—PCMAG, 10 July 2024
Keith Sharon, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
Inside the plant, robotic arms plucked lids for plastic storage containers from the jaws of steel molds.
—Peter S. Goodman, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pluck 
Noun
The opening acoustic guitar plucks have little low-mid resonance or string texture in the higher frequencies.
—PCMAG, 8 Aug. 2024
The opening acoustic guitar plucks receive a good sense of resonance and clean, clear string texture.
—PCMAG, 10 July 2024
Verb
From inside the hat, police would later pluck a single black hair.
—Keith Sharon, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
Inside the plant, robotic arms plucked lids for plastic storage containers from the jaws of steel molds.
—Peter S. Goodman, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pluck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pluck
Noun
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For decades, China’s massive size and growth created a sort of gravitational pull.Elizabeth Economy, Foreign Affairs, 14 Jan. 2025
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Lively’s Lily Bloom is a cipher for the millennial woman resisting the pull of becoming her boomer mother.Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
Noun
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For all the valorization of courage, the show’s reluctance to tackle harder issues head-on feels rather toothless.Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Jan. 2025
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The organization is meant to build girls' courage and confidence while making the world a better place.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
Verb
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These forces squeeze a star horizontally while stretching it vertically.Robert Lea, Space.com, 10 Jan. 2025
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Egypt lost $7 billion in crucial revenue from the Suez Canal in 2024 as the conflict in Gaza has squeezed shipping in the Red Sea, according to government officials.Vivian Yee, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The big planets can shift Earth’s orbit slightly, and how our planet reacts to this interplanetary tug can set new temperature patterns in motion.Longreads, Longreads, 18 Dec. 2024
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The tugs will deliver the ship to the docks of Modern American Recycling Services – MARS – a company that specializes in vessel salvage and other marine operations.George Petras, USA TODAY, 14 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The beauty community in Los Angeles has a lot of grit and gumption—a lot of very smart and savvy people who are business-minded as well as artistically-minded.Allure Editors, Allure, 17 Jan. 2025
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The menu takes guests on a culinary journey through Appalachia and the South with dishes like smoked trout hush puppies and roasted halibut with grits and andouille vinaigrette.Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 15 Jan. 2025
Verb
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One day later Miami would kick off its plans for 2025 right by landing former Georgia starting quarterback Carson Beck in the transfer portal (more on that in a bit), but, still, this Orange Bowl had to sting Cristobal over all that might have been.Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 10 Jan. 2025
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That loss hurt, of course, and losing the Super Bowl this time around would sting, too.Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 6 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The resulting specs: 434 ponies and 525 lb-ft of yank.Sean Evans, Robb Report, 30 Oct. 2024
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With tugs and yanks and positive feedback, a planetary makeover began that is rampant today.Stephen Pyne, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2024
Noun
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Hard work, fortitude, honesty, independence, self reliance, connection to the land, and traditional masculinity are a few that come to mind.Ryleigh Nucilli, Outside Online, 29 Dec. 2024
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And that fortitude and clarity carries over into every space.Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 29 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Pluck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pluck. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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