plump

1 of 6

verb (1)

ˈpləmp 

plumped; plumping; plumps

intransitive verb

1

: to drop, sink, or come in contact suddenly or heavily

plumped down in the chair

2

: to favor or decide in favor of someone or something strongly or emphatically

—used with for

transitive verb

1

: to drop, cast, or place suddenly or heavily

2

: to give support and favorable publicity to

plump

2 of 6

noun (1)

: a sudden plunge, fall, or blow

also : the sound made by a plump

plump

3 of 6

adverb

1

: with a sudden or heavy drop

2

a

: straight down

b

: straight ahead

3

: without qualification : directly

plump out of luck

plump

4 of 6

noun (2)

chiefly dialectal

: group, flock

a plump of ducks rose at the same time

—H. D. Thoreau

plump

5 of 6

verb (2)

plumped; plumping; plumps

transitive verb

: to make plump

intransitive verb

: to become plump

plump

6 of 6

adjective

1

: having a full rounded usually pleasing form

a plump woman

2

: ample, abundant

plumpish

ˈpləm-pish 

adjective

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• flop
• flump
• plank
• plop
• plunk
• plonk

Noun (1)

• bang
• bash
• bat
• beat
• belt
• biff
• blow
• bop
• box
• buffet
• bust
• chop
• clap
• clip
• clout
• crack
• cuff
• dab
• douse [British]
• fillip
• hack
• haymaker
• hit
• hook
• knock
• larrup [dialect]
• lash
• lick
• pelt
• pick
• poke
• pound
• punch
• rap
• slam
• slap
• slug
• smack
• smash
• sock
• spank
• stinger
• stripe
• stroke
• swat
• swipe
• switch
• thud
• thump
• thwack
• wallop
• welt
• whack
• wham
• whop
• whap

Adverb

• dead
• direct
• directly
• due
• plumb
• right
• straight
• straightway

Adjective

• blubbery
• chubby
• corpulent
• fat
• fleshy
• full
• gross
• lardy
• obese
• overweight
• podgy [chiefly British]
• portly
• pudgy
• replete
• roly-poly
• rotund
• round
• tubby

Examples of plump in a Sentence

Verb (1)

plumped herself down on the couch and turned on the TV

Noun (1)

angrily gave a plump of his fist against the door

Adverb

there was a squirrel on the sidewalk plump in front of us

Adjective

His aunt pinched his plump cheeks.

she's been plump all her life, and her sister has always been skinny

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Spongy, fresh bread would dilute the egg mixture with its moisture, while dehydrated bread would more thirstily absorb the custard, swelling and plumping voluptuously. —Melissa Clark, New York Times, 7 May 2024

Beyond social media, the ingredient is backed by science — the consistent use of hyaluronic acid serum has been proven to smooth and plump the skin, and ease the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, according to a 2021 study. —Caroline C. Boyle, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English

Noun (2)

Middle English plumpe

Adjective and Verb (2)

Middle English, dull, blunt, from Middle Dutch plomp

First Known Use

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1533, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Adjective

1569, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing plump

• plump for

Kids Definition

plump

1 of 5 verb

ˈpləmp 

1

: to drop, sink, or come in contact suddenly or heavily

plumped down in the chair

2

: to support someone or something strongly

—used with for

plump for a candidate

plump

2 of 5 noun

: a sudden plunge, fall, or blow

plump

3 of 5 adverb

1

: with a sudden or heavy drop

2

: directly entry 1 sense 1

ran plump into the wall

plump

4 of 5 verb

: to make or become plump

plump up a pillow

plump

5 of 5 adjective

: having a full rounded form : chubby

plumpness noun

Etymology

Verb

Middle English plumpen "to drop or sink heavily"

Verb

plump (adjective) "rounded, chubby," from Middle English plump "dull, blunt"