plunk

verb

ˈpləŋk 

variants or plonk

ˈpläŋk 

ˈplȯŋk

plunked or plonked; plunking or plonking; plunks or plonks

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

plunk noun

plunker noun

Synonyms of plunk

• plop

Examples of plunk in a Sentence

You've been plunking that banjo all afternoon!

She plunked out a little tune on the piano.

plunking away on a guitar

The pitcher plunked the first two batters of the game.

She plunked a mug of coffee on the counter.

Recent Examples on the Web

Angels reliever Ryan Zeferjahn plunked two batters in the seventh, and Sam Bachman gave up an RBI single to Nick Kurtz, trimming the Angels’ lead to 5-4. —Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2026

Isaiah Salas, the reliable freshman, came in and plunked Frei to plate a run. —Jace Denison, Kansas City Star, 20 May 2026

Two batters later, Peralta plunked Brandon Nimmo, and Josh Jung followed up with a single to load the bases. —Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 20 May 2026

Marcelo Mayer led off the third with a single, and Flaherty plunked catcher Carlos Narváez to put two men on for Durbin, who lined his seventh double of the year to left for a 2-0 lead. —Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 7 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

imitative

First Known Use

1808, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing plunk

• plunk down

Rhymes for plunk

• bunk
• chunk
• clunk
• drunk
• dunk
• hunk
• junk
• punk
• shrunk
• slunk
• spunk
• sunk

Kids Definition

plunk

verb

ˈpləŋk 

variants or plonk

ˈpläŋk 

ˈplȯŋk

1

: to make or cause to make a hollow, metallic, or harsh sound

plunk the strings of a banjo

2

: to drop or set down suddenly

plunk a suitcase on the bench

plunk noun