plug

1 of 2

noun

ˈpləg

Synonyms of plug next

: a piece used to fill a hole : stopper

: an obtruding or obstructing mass of material resembling a stopper

: a flat compressed cake of tobacco

: a small core or segment removed from a larger object

: something inferior

especially : an inferior often aged or unsound horse

: hydrant, fireplug

: spark plug

: an artificial fishing lure used primarily for casting and made with one or more sets of gang hooks

: any of various devices resembling or functioning like a plug: such as

: a male fitting for making an electrical connection to a live circuit by insertion in a receptacle (such as an outlet)

: a device for connecting electric wires to a jack

: a piece of favorable publicity or a favorable mention usually incorporated in general matter

plug

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verb

plugged; plugging

transitive verb

: to stop, make tight, or secure by inserting a plug

: to remedy (a deficiency) as if by inserting a plug

trying to plug the gaps in their understanding

: to hit with a bullet : shoot

: to advertise or publicize insistently

intransitive verb

: to become plugged

—usually used with up

: to work doggedly and persistently

plugged away at her homework

: to fire shots

plugger noun

Phrases

plug into

: to connect or become connected to by or as if by means of a plug

the city was plugged into the new highway system

: to load into as if by means of a plug

plugged the data into a computer

Example Sentences

Verb We were able to plug the hole with cement. One of the DJs on the local radio station has been plugging the band's new album. He plugged him right in the chest.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Glitzy Hollywood glamour made a stylish return a year after the plug was pulled on the awards show amid scandal over the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's questionable ethical practices and conspicuously white voting body. —

Barbara Vandenburgh, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2023 Also, make sure it is plugged safely into the wall, the unit part of the humidifier containing the water tank is not directly by the plug, in case of spills, and that the cord is kept free of high-traffic areas to avoid any trips or falls. —

Dallas News, 12 Jan. 2023 Right now, Wyze is selling it for $24.99 with a free color smart bulb, a two-pack of smart plugs, an outdoor plug, or a light switch. —

Antonio G. Di Benedetto, The Verge, 7 Jan. 2023 The company announced a few Matter smart home products at CES, including a new window and door sensor, smart plug, and motion sensor. —

Andy Meek, BGR, 6 Jan. 2023 Sales of the plug-in hybrid Jeep Wrangler 4xe increased 46% last year over 2021. —

Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 4 Jan. 2023 Meech smuggles drugs from Las Vegas as a test to secure a new plug for BMF, a vicious gangster from the Brewster Projects. —

Rodney Ho, ajc, 1 Jan. 2023 Our test goes from 10 to 90 percent, however, and that last 10 percent nearly doubles the time on the plug. —

Dave Vanderwerp, Car and Driver, 1 Jan. 2023 Now, McLaren is returning to electrification in its Artura, the company's first-ever series production plug-in hybrid. —

Morgan Korn, ABC News, 31 Dec. 2022

Verb

That number includes both fully electric cars, as well as plug-in hybrids. —

Mary Hui, Quartz, 11 Nov. 2022 Backers of the measure, including most major environmental groups, said the state needs a dedicated, robust source of funding to set up infrastructure that can handle more plug-in cars and to help Californians of all income levels to buy them. —

Kathleen Ronayne, Fortune, 9 Nov. 2022 Backers of the measure, including most major environmental groups, say the state needs a dedicated, robust source of funding to set up infrastructure that can handle more plug-in cars and to help Californians of all income levels to buy them. —

Time, 8 Nov. 2022 Two new co-workers, who sit on either side of my area, both have plug-in air fresheners. —

Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2022 President Joe Biden has called for 50% of all new vehicle sales by 2030 to be EVs or plug-in hybrids but not endorsed a phase-out date. —

Fox News, 29 Sep. 2022 And up to 20 percent of their sales can be plug-in hybrids, which are cars that rely on batteries for shorter trips but also have gasoline engines that kick in for longer trips. —

Brad Plumer, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2022 Einstein and Rosen speculated that Schwarzschild’s math might be a way to plug elementary particles into general relativity. —

Natalie Wolchover, Quanta Magazine, 30 Nov. 2022 The Environmental Protection Agency rule announced in Egypt targets emissions from existing oil and gas wells nationwide, including smaller drilling sites that now will be required to find and plug methane leaks. —

Matthew Daly, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2022 See More

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