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
On screen, that depth is anchored by Williams and Storrie, actors plucked from restaurant-server obscurity.
—
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 15 May 2026
And wow, how juicy that fruit is, plucked straight from the plant and carved by Balala with a machete.
—Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 14 May 2026
The character seems not so much drawn from experience as plucked from a vat of pulp cliché.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 May 2026
The purpose was to attract buyers and visitors to a city that seemed to be plucked out of a storybook.
—Joshua Ceballos, Miami Herald, 13 May 2026
The rounds came and went, one linebacker after another plucked off the board in front of him.
—Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 7 May 2026
There’s no trace of anything strummed or plucked; clusters of tone simply materialize out of thin air, as capricious as weather.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 6 May 2026
He’s plucked employees from companies like Uber, Google, and Facebook to professionalize the place.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 6 May 2026
One of those appointees would be plucked from a nominee list drawn up by the Denver Regional Council of Governments, and another must be a current or former member of the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents many RTD train and bus operators.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 4 May 2026
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 15 May 2026
And wow, how juicy that fruit is, plucked straight from the plant and carved by Balala with a machete.
—Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 14 May 2026
The character seems not so much drawn from experience as plucked from a vat of pulp cliché.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 May 2026
The purpose was to attract buyers and visitors to a city that seemed to be plucked out of a storybook.
—Joshua Ceballos, Miami Herald, 13 May 2026
The rounds came and went, one linebacker after another plucked off the board in front of him.
—Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 7 May 2026
There’s no trace of anything strummed or plucked; clusters of tone simply materialize out of thin air, as capricious as weather.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 6 May 2026
He’s plucked employees from companies like Uber, Google, and Facebook to professionalize the place.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 6 May 2026
One of those appointees would be plucked from a nominee list drawn up by the Denver Regional Council of Governments, and another must be a current or former member of the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents many RTD train and bus operators.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plucked
Verb
-
Dwight reached out and squeezed my upper arm, pulling me into a bear hug, smashing my face against the rough canvas of his jacket, his gloved hand on my ass pulling me closer.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
-
Patrick Mahomes’ torn right ACL and LCL prevented a late-season surge that might have squeezed KC into the postseason and another fateful meeting.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Napoleon Solo hustled to first place at the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, coming out on top against 13 other horses in what is the race's biggest field in 15 years.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
-
Dominguez hustled back to the wall and made a spectacular catch, but crashed incredibly hard into the wall.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
President Jimmy Carter, stung by that generation’s problems with the Gulf producers, hailed us as the Saudi Arabia of coal and pressured utilities to build coal plants, hence the 50% of the grid that was coal.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
17 May 2026
-
Paul took it on the chin, while admitting that the bad reviews stung.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
But no matter the prodding, Terminus never wanted the patrons to feel cheated, so the games, while tricky, were winnable, and the prizes reasonable and fair.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
Every town has its nostalgic spots—ice cream shops, deli counters, old-school diners—that seem to have cheated time.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
But technique isn’t where most writers get stuck.—
David O’Neill,
New Yorker,
20 May 2026
-
Some Cambridge Housing Authority residents are stuck in sweltering temperatures with no air conditioning during the heat on Tuesday and Wednesday.—
Kristina Rex,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
If Miranda Priestly can get thrown in steerage, we’re all screwed.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
-
But that doesn’t mean working people aren’t getting screwed.—
Stuart Miller,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Ephemera is so often illustrative of the inner life of a character, a direct, beating correlative of the contents of their hearts.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
The race in San Diego County has unnerved other Democrats, who saw Issa as easier to beat than a fresh GOP candidate — but aren’t always sure what to think about Campar-Najjar.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plucked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plucked. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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