as in squeezed
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
the Internet opened up a whole new medium for con artists to pluck the gullible
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Recent Examples of plucked
Elsewhere on the ruby red carpet, Greta Lee paid homage to beloved cowgirl, Jessie, brought to life by Joan Cusack in all five films, wearing a red and white spherical, one-shoulder gown plucked straight from the Christian Dior spring 2026 couture runway.
—
Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 10 June 2026
Either way, what ancient musicians realized is that changing the length of a string also changed its vibration when plucked, which in turn changed the musical pitch.
—Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 10 June 2026
That still left a lot of the two-time league champion’s star power exposed to be plucked by the four new teams looking to fill rosters.
—Tom Carothers, Twin Cities, 7 June 2026
After the evil Skeletor (Jared Leto) snatches his parents, Adam is plucked out of Eternia and returns years later from the human world to assume his true identity as He-Man and save the planet.
—Matt Minton, Variety, 6 June 2026
Eastland survivor Libby Hruby told those assembled for the dedication of the marker on June 4, 1989, that she was plucked from the water by her sister.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2026
In Maine, several voters said that the oysterman plucked from obscurity didn’t pass the smell test.
—Caroline McCaughey, Boston Herald, 4 June 2026
Wagyu steaks, seafood plucked fresh from nearby Toyosu Market, and delectable Hokkaido scallops to name a few of the superlative Japanese produce available.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Many of the items for the set were quite literally plucked from her residence ahead of her Saturday Night Live performance at the end of last year.
—Angela Tafoya, Architectural Digest, 29 May 2026
Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 10 June 2026
Either way, what ancient musicians realized is that changing the length of a string also changed its vibration when plucked, which in turn changed the musical pitch.
—Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 10 June 2026
That still left a lot of the two-time league champion’s star power exposed to be plucked by the four new teams looking to fill rosters.
—Tom Carothers, Twin Cities, 7 June 2026
After the evil Skeletor (Jared Leto) snatches his parents, Adam is plucked out of Eternia and returns years later from the human world to assume his true identity as He-Man and save the planet.
—Matt Minton, Variety, 6 June 2026
Eastland survivor Libby Hruby told those assembled for the dedication of the marker on June 4, 1989, that she was plucked from the water by her sister.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2026
In Maine, several voters said that the oysterman plucked from obscurity didn’t pass the smell test.
—Caroline McCaughey, Boston Herald, 4 June 2026
Wagyu steaks, seafood plucked fresh from nearby Toyosu Market, and delectable Hokkaido scallops to name a few of the superlative Japanese produce available.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Many of the items for the set were quite literally plucked from her residence ahead of her Saturday Night Live performance at the end of last year.
—Angela Tafoya, Architectural Digest, 29 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plucked
Verb
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With inflation up 25% since 2020, more families are squeezed.—
Jim Morrill,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Dec. 2025
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Colorado families are being squeezed by the current economy which makes the Together for Colorado Toy Drive more important than ever this year.—
Libby Smith,
CBS News,
10 Dec. 2025
Verb
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As bankers hustled behind closed doors to price the deal and reporters indicated a first price of as high as $175, SpaceX perp-traders on Hyperliquid were buying and selling futures as high as $180 around the opening bell and as low as $153 just before the first trade came in at $150.—
Oliver Renick,
CNBC,
15 June 2026
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The apparent charade lasted more than a minute before Wittman removed the phone from his face and hustled ahead of the reporter, ignoring questions the whole time.—
Joseph Konig,
PEOPLE,
10 June 2026
Verb
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The Rays stung with two outs again in the sixth.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
10 June 2026
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The EpiPen in case you’ve been stung by reality.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Hilton on Tuesday addressed the president’s unfounded but vociferous claims that Democrats have massively cheated in our recent election.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
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People are robbed, assaulted and cheated.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Messi stuck a boot back, corralled the ball, took a half-turn and fired a laser low and into the corner of the net past Zidane.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
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Fans who bought parking passes got stuck in heavy traffic as the streets around the stadium were bumper-to-bumper by mid-afternoon.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
16 June 2026
Verb
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For the employees, such as my previous career as a film composer, we are screwed.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 June 2026
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Callis also said Kazuchika Okada had been screwed over, while Okada promised Konosuke Takeshita's reign as International Champion would not last much longer.—
Rob Wolkenbrod,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Collins easily beat former football coach Derek Dooley, according to unofficial election results.—
Tia Mitchell,
AJC.com,
17 June 2026
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The stance in 1966 let in North Korea, who famously beat Italy en route to the quarter-finals.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plucked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plucked. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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