plonk

verb

\ ˈpläŋk

, ˈplȯŋk\

variant of plunk

transitive verb

1 : to pluck or hit so as to produce a quick, hollow, metallic, or harsh sound

2 : to set down suddenly : plump

intransitive verb

1 : to make a plunking sound

2 : to drop abruptly : dive

3 : to come out in favor of someone or something : plump —used with for

plonk

noun

\ ˈpläŋk

, ˈplȯŋk\

Definition of plonk (Entry 2 of 2)

chiefly British

: cheap or inferior wine

Examples of plonk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Of course the magnum (a double-size bottle) must be a wine of quality, not some supersize grocery-store plonk. — Lettie Teague, WSJ, "The Wines We’ll Be Drinking in 2019," 19 Dec. 2018 Among whites, sauvignon blanc was the star, although chenin blanc, known locally as steen, was by far the most widely planted, having arrived in the 17th century with the earliest Cape settlers, who mainly used it to make cheap plonk and brandy. — Jay Mcinerney, Town & Country, "Why You Should be Drinking South African Chardonnay," 23 June 2017 The champagne house opened in 1882, in the Russian River Valley, and has been producing plonk ever since. — David Ferry, San Francisco Chronicle, "10 must-do’s in Sonoma County," 19 Apr. 2018 The embargoes have forced producers to make better plonk: European oenophiles are picky. — The Economist, "Noroc (cheers) for Moldovan wine," 28 Mar. 2018 Counterfeiters started obtaining empty bottles of expensive wine and filling them with plonk, and even created ersatz wine by mixing sugar water with artificial color and flavor. — Steven Strogatz, The New Yorker, "Can Wine Transform China’s Countryside?," 4 Feb. 2013 Developers rip out protective mangrove swamps to plonk hotels by the water’s edge. — The Economist, "How the Caribbean should cope with Hurricane Irma," 14 Sep. 2017 Among whites, sauvignon blanc was the star, although chenin blanc, known locally as steen, was by far the most widely planted, having arrived in the 17th century with the earliest Cape settlers, who mainly used it to make cheap plonk and brandy. — Jay Mcinerney, Town & Country, "Why You Should be Drinking South African Chardonnay," 23 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'plonk.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.