plug and play

noun

: a feature of a computer system by which peripherals are automatically detected and configured by the operating system
plug-and-play adjective

Examples of plug and play in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web While dipping heavily into the transfer portal is widely referred to as plug and play, UCLA’s recent approach under Chip Kelly might be best described as plug and pray. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2023 After removing it from the box and plugging it in, the Form 3 was ready to go—literally plug and play. Michael Molitch-Hou, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023 The Aztecs planned to tap into the NCAA transfer portal for replacements that could plug and play. Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Oct. 2023 With a straightforward installation process, the recipient can plug and play Disney+, HBO Max, Netflix and more. Sarah Grossbart, wsj.com, 12 Oct. 2023 Looking ahead, Boville thinks that the big growth area in cloud will move beyond customer applications to business processes using third party apps that increasingly won’t be built by the bank but will use APIs to plug and play and keep the business vibrant. Tom Groenfeldt, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2023 Vera-Tucker is one of the safest picks in the draft and figures to be a ‘plug and play’ guy from the day he’s drafted. Rob Reischel, Forbes, 19 Apr. 2021 How the Beavers get there isn’t plug and play. oregonlive, 30 Dec. 2022 There are essentially three types of hot tubs: inflatable, plug and play, and standard. Rachel Klein, Popular Mechanics, 21 Dec. 2022

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

Word History

First Known Use

1984, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of plug and play was in 1984

Dictionary Entries Near plug and play

Cite this Entry

“Plug and play.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plug%20and%20play. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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