Illustration of plume
- P plume 2a
1
: a feather of a bird: such as
a
: a large conspicuous or showy feather
b
c
: plumage
d
: a cluster of distinctive feathers
2
a
: material (such as a feather, cluster of feathers, or a tuft of hair) worn as an ornament
b
: a token of honor or prowess : prize
3
: something resembling a feather (as in shape, appearance, or lightness): such as
a
: a plumose appendage of a plant
b
: an elongated and usually open and mobile column or band (as of smoke, exhaust gases, or blowing snow)
c
: an animal structure having a main shaft bearing many hairs or filamentous parts
especially
: a full bushy tail
d
: any of several columns of molten rock rising from the earth's lower mantle that are theorized to drive tectonic plate movement and to underlie hot spots
plumed; pluming
1
a
: to provide or deck with feathers
b
: to array showily
2
: to indulge (oneself) in pride with an obvious or vain display of self-satisfaction
3
of a bird
a
: to preen and arrange the feathers of (itself)
b
: to preen and arrange (feathers)
Synonyms
Examples of plume in a Sentence
Noun
a hat with bright ostrich plumes
the Nobel Prize for Literature is the plume that all authors covet
Verb
that jerk plumes himself on his supposed athletic skills
Recent Examples on the Web
Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2024
Banquettes are surrounded by water where plumes of fire sometimes magically appear, and when the Skyblaze fountain show starts every half hour, these are the best seats in the house.
—Sarah Khan, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for plume 
Noun
Dramatic footage of the eruptions Wednesday shows plumes of gray ash billowing into the sky and streams of glowing lava, accompanied by lightning strikes.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2024
Banquettes are surrounded by water where plumes of fire sometimes magically appear, and when the Skyblaze fountain show starts every half hour, these are the best seats in the house.
—Sarah Khan, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for plume
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plume.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to plume
Dictionary Entries Near plume
Cite this Entry
“Plume.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plume. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
plume
1 of 2 noun1
: a feather of a bird
especially
: one that is large and showy
2
a
: a feather or tuft of feathers worn as an ornament (as on a hat)
b
: a deserved prize or reward
3
: something that resembles a feather (as in shape or lightness)
a plume of smoke
plumy
adjective
ˈplü-mē
plume
2 of 2 verb
plumed; pluming
1
: to provide or adorn with feathers
2
: to act with too much pride in oneself
plumed himself on his swimming skill
3
: to arrange the feathers of : preen
a bird pluming itself
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share