1
as in pull
the act or an instance of applying force on something so that it moves in the direction of the force
a quick pluck pulled the hair right out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in courage
the strength of mind that enables a person to endure pain or hardship
it takes pluck to survive a crippling car accident and still go on to become successful
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to squeeze
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
the Internet opened up a whole new medium for con artists to pluck the gullible
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pluck
Philip Elliott, Time, 26 Jan. 2026
The Warriors briefly showed some pluck in the first half against the Thunder.
—Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Jan. 2026
Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2026
Our guide in Moscow, Tanya, was a middle-aged woman who wore thick glasses plucked from a swiveling Optika stand at a Metro station.
—Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pluck
Noun
Trump is fond of Paxton’s pluck and Hunt’s ambition.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 26 Jan. 2026
The Warriors briefly showed some pluck in the first half against the Thunder.
—Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Jan. 2026
Verb
One of the options NASA has now for any issues with ML1 is to pluck items off of the mobile launcher 2 (ML2), the $1 billion plus launch tower that had been under construction adjacent to KSC’s Vehicle Assembly Building for the last couple of years.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2026
Our guide in Moscow, Tanya, was a middle-aged woman who wore thick glasses plucked from a swiveling Optika stand at a Metro station.
—Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pluck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pluck
Noun
-
The nylon-spandex fabric allows for some stretch while being lightweight enough for Florida spring, and the pull-on waistband is convenient and has some give.—
Kayla Becker,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Apr. 2026
-
But for many of the women who were under Bateman’s pull, the prophet’s arrest did not end their relationship.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Both asking for a raise and taking the mic at karaoke night require a lot of courage, so Mars and Uranus are here to help!—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The next wave of philanthropic courage is overdue.—
Felecia Hatcher,
Fortune,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Focusing on everyday shapewear, Yummie hugs instead of squeezes like traditional shapewear that can be extremely tight and constrictive.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
All movies need a 45-day exclusive theatrical window, because small and mid-budget movies that hit streaming sooner are getting squeezed.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In space, the gravitational tugs from passing planets act like those currents.—
Patrick M. Shober,
The Conversation,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The tug reportedly struck an object and was taking on water.—
Tiffany Watson,
Baltimore Sun,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The appeal of Larsson lies less in her songcraft than in her got-it-out-the-mud performer’s grit.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Minnesota has suffered a dozen one-goal losses this season but been a tough out down the stretch, playing with notable resilience and grit since Canfield’s arrival.—
Tris Wykes,
Twin Cities,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Anthropic leaks its code; Mercor stung by data breach.—
John Kell,
Fortune,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Santos stung a volley from outside the box midway through the second half after juggling the ball with her knee, but Silkowitz dived to her right to push the ball wide of the post.—
Michael Nowels,
Mercury News,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Soy sauce, Maggi seasoning, daikon and shiitake mushroom yank pot roast into new territory.—
Scott Hocker,
TheWeek,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Effectively, this turned the workspace into a yank buffer along with all your documents, and undoing any destructive editing operation thus became merely another cut and paste.—
Cameron Kaiser,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Honey in the Wound exists to acknowledge the fortitude of women who had to bear so much in silence for so long.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
-
His displays of extreme fortitude aren’t limited to the mountains.—
Namir Khaliq,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pluck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pluck. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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