plunk down

1 of 2

verb (1)

plunked down or plonked down; plunking down or plonking down; plunks down

intransitive verb

: to drop abruptly : settle into position

transitive verb

1

a

: to put down usually firmly or abruptly

plunked the items down on the counter

b

: to settle (oneself) into position

plunked himself down on the bench

2

: to pay out

reluctant to plunk down the money for a new car

plonk down

2 of 2

verb (2)

plonked down; plonking down; plonks down

British, informal

: to sit or lie down suddenly in a careless way

He plonked down beside me.

She plonked herself down on the sofa.

Examples of plunk down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Tankers and cargo ships are facing three-and-a-half day waits to enter the Panama Canal as the Iran war sparks a surge in traffic, prompting one vessel to plunk down an extra $4 million to jump to the front of the line. —Ruth Liao, Bloomberg, 16 Apr. 2026

Nearly 400,000 prospective buyers of the Model 3 had plunked down $1,000 as Tesla aimed to boost production from 100,000 to 300,000 cars annually. —John Pacenti, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026

Verb

There wasn't really a discernible difference in the amount of dust on my entertainment center with the air purifier plonked down right next to it – not like there was while using the HVAC filter. —Joe Salas april 25, New Atlas, 25 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1891, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for plunk down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown