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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of plucked
On the walls, black-and-white printouts of newspaper articles, magazines and book pages looked like they were plucked from a Pinterest board on scrapbooking.
—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
2 July 2026
Despite his young age, the then 36-year-old was far from a nobody plucked from the ether, though.
—
Chris Evans,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Looking forward to biting into a fresh, juicy cucumber plucked right from your garden?
—
Martha Stewart,
30 June 2026
But when they’re plucked from the garden and washed, some of the wax washes away.
—
Stacey Lastoe,
Southern Living,
29 June 2026
Among the dishes is blue crab plucked from the water tableside, then served rillette-style using fat from the restaurant’s estuaries.
—
Jamila Robinson,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
29 June 2026
Dressed in their school uniforms, classmates stood on chairs set up in the cafeteria and clapped along as the band — then, The Coast Watchers — plucked instrumental-only surf rock tunes.
—
Chris Placek,
Chicago Tribune,
27 June 2026
Its members were plucked from 120,000 international applicants to be rigorously trained, molded, and manufactured into international superstars through K-pop methodology.
—
Elizabeth Gulino,
Allure,
25 June 2026
Editor Picks One way to weed through the pages and pages of deals is going straight to the Vogue editor picks section, to see what the team has hand-plucked across all categories.
—
Kristina Rutkowski,
Vogue,
25 June 2026
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
2 July 2026
Despite his young age, the then 36-year-old was far from a nobody plucked from the ether, though.
—
Chris Evans,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Looking forward to biting into a fresh, juicy cucumber plucked right from your garden?
—
Martha Stewart,
30 June 2026
But when they’re plucked from the garden and washed, some of the wax washes away.
—
Stacey Lastoe,
Southern Living,
29 June 2026
Among the dishes is blue crab plucked from the water tableside, then served rillette-style using fat from the restaurant’s estuaries.
—
Jamila Robinson,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
29 June 2026
Dressed in their school uniforms, classmates stood on chairs set up in the cafeteria and clapped along as the band — then, The Coast Watchers — plucked instrumental-only surf rock tunes.
—
Chris Placek,
Chicago Tribune,
27 June 2026
Its members were plucked from 120,000 international applicants to be rigorously trained, molded, and manufactured into international superstars through K-pop methodology.
—
Elizabeth Gulino,
Allure,
25 June 2026
Editor Picks One way to weed through the pages and pages of deals is going straight to the Vogue editor picks section, to see what the team has hand-plucked across all categories.
—
Kristina Rutkowski,
Vogue,
25 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plucked
Verb
-
The performance uptick that Motorola squeezed from the 2026 Razr+ is minor at best, with results showing no significant year-over-year gains.
-
There was Paris squeezed between meetings on a fleeting work trip.
Verb
-
The few that didn’t have hustled to catch up.
-
The first inning looked promising as Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda singled, and Cedric Mullins hustled his bunt attempt into a hit to load the bases.
Verb
-
Democrats are still stung by Rogan’s nearly three-hour Trump interview in the final weeks of the 2024 campaign.
-
Having dominated most of his players in table tennis over the years, Gadowsky is still stung after meeting his match.
Verb
-
Revote to be held in Hempstead Candidate Caprice Rines said she and the two others vying for the seat have been cheated.
-
The fans were cheated Sunday out of a chance to see an interesting pitching matchup between Shota Imanaga and Dylan Cease, the former Cubs farmhand and former White Sox pitcher.
Verb
-
Maxxine battled back, but Raquel caught a spinning kick attempt and stuck Maxxine with a Tejana Bomb for the win.
-
Mangione briefly stuck in elevator Court began slightly later than usual Monday morning because Mangione got stuck in an elevator while trying to get to court.
Verb
-
Now, Greg is screwed because, one week in, everyone is having a great time.
-
No matter who ends up on the Iron Throne, the common people get screwed.
Verb
-
Bryson Stott's three-run homer highlighted Philadelphia's eight-run outburst in the ninth inning and the Phillies rallied to beat the Washington Nationals 14-9 on Tuesday night.
-
Rather than be benched, Devers batted cleanup, overcame an 0-for-3 start, and singled up the middle in the seventh to score Bryce Eldridge, who narrowly beat a tag at the plate for a 3-1 lead.
Cite this Entry
“Plucked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plucked. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
