as in squeezed
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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Recent Examples of plucked
Some songs here have been plucked from Robyn’s back catalog and given a dusting up for the 2020s.
—
Molly Mary O’Brien, Pitchfork, 27 Mar. 2026
Come down from your tower for a steak, some seafood plucked from Gulf waters, a martini.
—Elazar Sontag, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2026
The Kings plucked a point from that affair thanks to a third-period tally from winger Artemi Panarin, who scored their only goal a night earlier against the Buffalo Sabres.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 23 Mar. 2026
The team was always clear that the cast needed to be mostly up-and-coming talent, many of whom have been plucked from the growing world of social media comedy.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2026
Oreade, the fine dining restaurant, is where Chef Riccardo Bacciottini unleashes his creativity and technical prowess, using local ingredients (many plucked right from the hotel’s gardens) to make sublime dishes like tomato tartare with basil and miso or artichokes confited with pepper sauce.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Mar. 2026
There’s something slightly shady about this time of year, too, where mid-major talent gets showcased so that the players can get plucked out of school by the major conferences.
—Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News, 18 Mar. 2026
Flavors inspired by both Guerrero and Sinaloa will make their way into the kitchen here, where season ingredients will be plucked from local farmers and purveyors.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 16 Mar. 2026
Such was the case for the Dallas Cowboys, who plucked outside linebackers coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe away from Georgia after four years with the program.
—Connor Riley, AJC.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Molly Mary O’Brien, Pitchfork, 27 Mar. 2026
Come down from your tower for a steak, some seafood plucked from Gulf waters, a martini.
—Elazar Sontag, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2026
The Kings plucked a point from that affair thanks to a third-period tally from winger Artemi Panarin, who scored their only goal a night earlier against the Buffalo Sabres.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 23 Mar. 2026
The team was always clear that the cast needed to be mostly up-and-coming talent, many of whom have been plucked from the growing world of social media comedy.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2026
Oreade, the fine dining restaurant, is where Chef Riccardo Bacciottini unleashes his creativity and technical prowess, using local ingredients (many plucked right from the hotel’s gardens) to make sublime dishes like tomato tartare with basil and miso or artichokes confited with pepper sauce.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Mar. 2026
There’s something slightly shady about this time of year, too, where mid-major talent gets showcased so that the players can get plucked out of school by the major conferences.
—Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News, 18 Mar. 2026
Flavors inspired by both Guerrero and Sinaloa will make their way into the kitchen here, where season ingredients will be plucked from local farmers and purveyors.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 16 Mar. 2026
Such was the case for the Dallas Cowboys, who plucked outside linebackers coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe away from Georgia after four years with the program.
—Connor Riley, AJC.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plucked
Verb
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And almost all traffic goes through two main shipping lanes that are even more squeezed.—
Annette Choi,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
-
More than 22,000 oranges are squeezed, and hundreds of gallons of drinks are poured, all for opening day.—
Caroline Foreback,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The dads and sons hustled to a nearby dirt patch.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Minnesota pulled even in the fourth when Byron Buxton hustled home on sacrifice fly by Josh Bell.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Anyone who is stung repeatedly or has trouble breathing should call 911.—
Rey Covarrubias Jr,
AZCentral.com,
29 Mar. 2026
-
These scandals stung at the time, but looking back, Cyrus wouldn’t have changed a thing.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Teddy, specifically, has also cheated death on the series several times.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Indigenous people have been cheated through laws such as are operated in Nigeria today.—
Noo Saro-Wiwa,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The average commuter spends 63 hours a year stuck in traffic.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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The suspect was stuck in the shoulder while a stray bullet grazed a sleeping 71-year-old in a near by home.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
A lot of times, much of a Hollywood memoir is someone saying this person screwed me over, this bad thing happened, and so on.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Harper is thrilled, Whitney is screwed.—
Meg Walters,
Glamour,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Suns then tied the game at 94-94 after Jordan Goodwin beat the buzzer with a corner triple to end the period.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Keller stymies defending champ Coppell Claire Garritson scored the game-winning goal in the second half and Keller hung on to beat defending state champion Coppell 2-1 in the Class 6A Division 1 Region 1 Final on Tuesday night at Keller High School.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plucked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plucked. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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