as in filling
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1
as in packing
to close up so that no empty spaces remain
plugged the hole in the wall with putty
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in laboring
to devote serious and sustained effort
plugged away at solving the math problem
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in promoting
to provide publicity for
the actress is giving lots of interviews to plug her latest movie
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in shooting
to strike with a missile from a gun
the drug lord plugged the stool pigeon as a lesson for any others who were tempted to talk
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of plugging
Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026
Changes in estrogen and androgen levels can increase keratin production, promoting follicular plugging, while also affecting oil and sweat gland activity.
—Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 11 May 2026
The framework also showed high precision in tasks like charger plugging, where millimeter-level accuracy is critical.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 30 Mar. 2026
To address the issue, the Center for Biological Diversity is pushing for faster plugging of idle wells, prioritizing the effort near sensitive locations and making oil and gas companies pay for it.
—Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
Continue reading … RATTLED HOST — CNN's Jake Tapper 'very unhappy' after network tightens book plugging.
—FOXNews.com, 19 Feb. 2026
Oil companies are required to set aside funds, called bonds, that the state can call on to pay for well plugging and environmental cleanup.
—Mark Olalde, ProPublica, 22 Jan. 2026
These items often need daily recharging, necessitating regular plugging and unplugging.
—Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Dec. 2025
Such plugging used to come in the form of critical scores.
—Senior Wine Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 May 2016
Jeaneen Russell, PEOPLE, 20 May 2026
These are great for charging electric toothbrushes, plugging your phone in at night and powering hair dryers.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 20 May 2026
At the outset of the crisis, the family had pinned most of their hopes on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, the regulatory agency responsible for overseeing oil and gas — including pollution from the industry and plugging old wells.
—Nick Bowlin, ProPublica, 18 May 2026
However, as experts tell us, there's a bit more to it than just grabbing the nearest cord and plugging it in.
—Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 18 May 2026
Leslie Jones, plugging her new HGTV series Roast My Rental, rattled off the names of a few of the two dozen cable networks on the roster (which ballooned after the 2022 merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery).
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 14 May 2026
Call Your Mother is plugging a hole in south Denver.
—Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 13 May 2026
On Friday, the Knicks had Shamet to thank for plugging the hole in the starting unit.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 9 May 2026
Very few players at the top level operate as that kind of hybrid as comfortably as Szoboszlai has this season, plugging gaps in the line-up wherever required.
—Sukhman Singh, New York Times, 8 May 2026
Noun
In addition, most of the money dedicated to well plugging is expended through contractors.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026
Changes in estrogen and androgen levels can increase keratin production, promoting follicular plugging, while also affecting oil and sweat gland activity.
—Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 11 May 2026
The framework also showed high precision in tasks like charger plugging, where millimeter-level accuracy is critical.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 30 Mar. 2026
To address the issue, the Center for Biological Diversity is pushing for faster plugging of idle wells, prioritizing the effort near sensitive locations and making oil and gas companies pay for it.
—Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
Continue reading … RATTLED HOST — CNN's Jake Tapper 'very unhappy' after network tightens book plugging.
—FOXNews.com, 19 Feb. 2026
Oil companies are required to set aside funds, called bonds, that the state can call on to pay for well plugging and environmental cleanup.
—Mark Olalde, ProPublica, 22 Jan. 2026
These items often need daily recharging, necessitating regular plugging and unplugging.
—Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Dec. 2025
Such plugging used to come in the form of critical scores.
—Senior Wine Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 May 2016
Verb
The setup is as simple as plugging it in — there’s no warm-up time, and cleanup is just as easy thanks to the removable tray and included cleaning brush.
—Jeaneen Russell, PEOPLE, 20 May 2026
These are great for charging electric toothbrushes, plugging your phone in at night and powering hair dryers.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 20 May 2026
At the outset of the crisis, the family had pinned most of their hopes on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, the regulatory agency responsible for overseeing oil and gas — including pollution from the industry and plugging old wells.
—Nick Bowlin, ProPublica, 18 May 2026
However, as experts tell us, there's a bit more to it than just grabbing the nearest cord and plugging it in.
—Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 18 May 2026
Leslie Jones, plugging her new HGTV series Roast My Rental, rattled off the names of a few of the two dozen cable networks on the roster (which ballooned after the 2022 merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery).
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 14 May 2026
Call Your Mother is plugging a hole in south Denver.
—Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 13 May 2026
On Friday, the Knicks had Shamet to thank for plugging the hole in the starting unit.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 9 May 2026
Very few players at the top level operate as that kind of hybrid as comfortably as Szoboszlai has this season, plugging gaps in the line-up wherever required.
—Sukhman Singh, New York Times, 8 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plugging
Noun
-
The higher-grade fuel, designed to guard against evaporation as temperatures rise, can add up to 15 cents per gallon to the cost of a filling up, according to GasBuddy.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
20 May 2026
-
Divide and fill the avocados with the salad mixture, allowing the filling to overflow onto the plate.—
Mary Ann Esposito,
Boston Herald,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Section Two of the Voting Rights Act was written to prevent diminishing the voting power of racial minorities by packing them into one district or spreading them out across many districts.—
Sarah Clifton,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
-
Of course, packing two days of qualifying comes with some concessions.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Makar has played in every game this postseason, but was clearly laboring in Game 5 against the Minnesota Wild.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
20 May 2026
-
Imagine a place of employment where everyone in the building is laboring to live out their childhood dream.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Screen Brasil reaffirms Embratur’s role in promoting the country internationally and expanding the international reach of Brazilian productions.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
18 May 2026
-
On Sunday, the league posted a social media graphic promoting its doubleheader on NBC/Peacock.—
Bobby Burack OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Police are investigating an east Fort Worth shooting that injured a man Sunday night.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 May 2026
-
But while he wasn’t fired for shooting a Black man who died, he is fired from the LAPD for beating up a white man who lived.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
Richard Lovelady was designated for assignment nine times in the last two years, including once by the Nats, and is now closing games for them.—
Spencer Nusbaum,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
-
In the movie’s closing credits, Hansen-Løve is among the names singled out for a thank you from the director.—
Josh Slater-Williams,
IndieWire,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Many libraries’ orders went unfulfilled, and all but the largest ones were left struggling to get popular titles to their patrons.—
Adeel Hassan,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
Across Oahu’s North Shore, an area famed for its big-wave surfing, the small farms that help supply the island’s food are struggling after back-to-back storms in March brought the state’s worst flooding in two decades.—
Jennifer Sinco Kelleher,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
In addition to his clairvoyant recruitment of head coach Eric Roy, who had not coached a club for more than 11 years before his appointment by Brest, Lorenzi enjoyed success at Stade Francis Le Ble by picking up players on the cheap and selling them on at significant profit.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio.—
Zev Fima,Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plugging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plugging. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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