pluck at
verb
plucked at; plucking at; plucks at
: to pull part of (something) with one's fingers especially more than once
He nervously plucked at the blanket.
Examples of pluck at in a Sentence
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What plucks at the heartstrings with its Herb Alpert studio melancholy sounds a little fried here, the song’s plaintive, tentative charm buried under thrashing improvisation.
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Linnie Greene, Pitchfork, 6 Mar. 2026
The Vikings defense rediscovered its aggressive ways, too, with linebacker Eric Wilson constantly plucking at the Lions’ shaky interior.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
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Linnie Greene, Pitchfork, 6 Mar. 2026
The Vikings defense rediscovered its aggressive ways, too, with linebacker Eric Wilson constantly plucking at the Lions’ shaky interior.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pluck at.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pluck%20at. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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