plinked; plinking; plinks
1
: to make a tinkling sound
2
: to shoot at random targets in an informal and noncompetitive manner
plinker
noun
: a tinkling metallic sound
Examples of plink in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
Bushnell’s Deploy reticle is among the simplest of the hash-mark-heavy options out there, and 4.5- to 27-power provides ridiculous versatility, whether plinking at long-range or cleaning up prairie dogs.
—Michael R. Shea, Field & Stream, 3 Jan. 2020
The hours spent plinking with such a toy can instill a love of archery that lasts a lifetime.
—The Editors, Outdoor Life, 20 Nov. 2019
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
The recognizable plink occurs only when a water droplet lands in water; a drop landing on a dry, wooden surface leaves only a dull thud.
—Sarah Gibbens, National Geographic, 22 June 2018
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Verb
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
Bushnell’s Deploy reticle is among the simplest of the hash-mark-heavy options out there, and 4.5- to 27-power provides ridiculous versatility, whether plinking at long-range or cleaning up prairie dogs.
—Michael R. Shea, Field & Stream, 3 Jan. 2020
The hours spent plinking with such a toy can instill a love of archery that lasts a lifetime.
—The Editors, Outdoor Life, 20 Nov. 2019
Noun
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
The recognizable plink occurs only when a water droplet lands in water; a drop landing on a dry, wooden surface leaves only a dull thud.
—Sarah Gibbens, National Geographic, 22 June 2018
See More
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
Dictionary Entries Near plink
Cite this Entry
“Plink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plink. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.
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