plink

1 of 2

verb

plinked; plinking; plinks

intransitive verb

1
: to make a tinkling sound
2
: to shoot at random targets in an informal and noncompetitive manner

transitive verb

1
: to cause to make a tinkling sound
2
: to shoot at especially in a casual manner
plinker noun

plink

2 of 2

noun

: a tinkling metallic sound

Examples of plink in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Ranging as far as two miles from their operators, the tiny drones plink Russian vehicles and even chase down, and blow up, individual Russian soldiers who swat at them with rifles and sticks. David Axe, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 Crepuscular synth pads plink over gritty drum kicks, and by the time the blaring alarm sounds, you’ll be fully entangled with a new lover. Pitchfork, 13 Dec. 2023 Here’s a kalimba, an African thumb piano with metal tines that plink like a music box. Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2021 High capacity allows target shooters to plink away for longer periods without having to stop and laboriously handload. Aaron Smith, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2021 The seven-time Grammy-winning Newman, sheltering in place with his dog whining in the background, sat down at his piano and casually plinked out an offering as comfortable as macaroni and cheese. Steve Rubenstein, SFChronicle.com, 11 Apr. 2020 It was boosted further in 2013 when Glee delivered a brilliant rendition — via a leather-clad and piano-plinking Darren Criss — during a Season Four episode. Bobby Olivier, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2019 On Saturday summer evenings, my dad, brother, cousins, Uncle Hans, and I spent countless hours there plinking at marauding rats. Gerry Bethge, Outdoor Life, 21 Apr. 2020 These little guns are effective and tons of fun for squirrels and bunnies, on the skeet field, or for just plinking around. Phil Bourjaily, Field & Stream, 18 Sep. 2019
Noun
Plink, plink, plink go the rivets, with MGM's No Time to Die, rescheduled from Nov. 20 to April 2021 on Friday, being the latest to plummet earthward. Jeva Lange, TheWeek, 5 Oct. 2020 In the finished dish, the gentle heat of the curry and the sweetness of the warm pudding were offset by the cool, tangy white sauce and a salty plink of caviar at the end of each bite. Hannah Goldfield, The New Yorker, 2 Oct. 2023 The plink of a piano wafted in from the Music Hall by the water’s edge, and on a nearby point, the American flag billowed in the breeze. Lila Battis, Travel + Leisure, 2 Aug. 2023 Over slight variations of the same round-and-round keyboard plink, Boo becomes a sassy stripper confronting cheap patrons on ‘Can I Get Paid?’. Bethonie Butler, Washington Post, 4 Jan. 2023 That leaves us with the plink master, the first rifle many of us called our own, the humble .22. Johnny Carrol Sain, Outdoor Life, 6 Oct. 2020 Mike Goodman raised his golf club in a graceful arc, uncoiled and — with a swift metallic plink — sent the white ball streaking over the first fairway of the Worthington Manor Golf Club in Frederick County. Fredrick Kunkle, Washington Post, 7 May 2020 The pleasant plink of the record falling into place, a click to begin the next tale of someone surviving a wretched heartbreak, and the hand disappeared. Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2020 With a series of plinks, the stomach contents slumped out onto the metal sieve below. Rachel Becker, The Mercury News, 3 Aug. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plink.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

imitative

First Known Use

Verb

1941, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1916, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of plink was in 1916

Dictionary Entries Near plink

Cite this Entry

“Plink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plink. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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