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
The Minimalist The latest crop of sleek, minimal leather jackets feel plucked from Gwyneth Paltrow in the 90s, in the best possible way.
—
Christina Holevas, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2025
There were no stoves in the cabins, so Huse plucked native oranges off the trees to make everyone freezer pies.
—Gabrielle Calise, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
Indeed, as the dog plucked up the courage to jump into the water, the man on the boat appeared to steer off and left the dog alone.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Victor fine-tunes his research, and eventually succeeds in bringing to life a patchwork man of superhuman strength, put together with body parts plucked from corpses left behind on a battlefield.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 30 Aug. 2025
Just like the web player, the experience felt plucked from the early-aughts days of Limewire downloads and the detailed labor of CD and cassette mixtapes.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2025
Michigan’s entire 2026 recruiting cycle was building toward the moment Tuesday when Savion Hiter, a high school running back built like an all-pro, plucked a Michigan hat from the table in front of him.
—Austin Meek, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
That way, diners can, say, enjoy carrots that were plucked just hours before their reservation.
—Brittany Anas, Denver Post, 21 Aug. 2025
Besides Donahoe and Wildhack, Notre Dame’s Pete Bevacqua was notably plucked straight from the corporate world.
—Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Christina Holevas, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2025
There were no stoves in the cabins, so Huse plucked native oranges off the trees to make everyone freezer pies.
—Gabrielle Calise, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
Indeed, as the dog plucked up the courage to jump into the water, the man on the boat appeared to steer off and left the dog alone.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Victor fine-tunes his research, and eventually succeeds in bringing to life a patchwork man of superhuman strength, put together with body parts plucked from corpses left behind on a battlefield.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 30 Aug. 2025
Just like the web player, the experience felt plucked from the early-aughts days of Limewire downloads and the detailed labor of CD and cassette mixtapes.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2025
Michigan’s entire 2026 recruiting cycle was building toward the moment Tuesday when Savion Hiter, a high school running back built like an all-pro, plucked a Michigan hat from the table in front of him.
—Austin Meek, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
That way, diners can, say, enjoy carrots that were plucked just hours before their reservation.
—Brittany Anas, Denver Post, 21 Aug. 2025
Besides Donahoe and Wildhack, Notre Dame’s Pete Bevacqua was notably plucked straight from the corporate world.
—Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plucked
Verb
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The shakeups are the latest at a time when restaurants are squeezed between a labor shortage, rising food prices and a loss of customers as diners cut back on spending.—
Bud Kennedy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Sep. 2025
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For now, the three youngest each sleep in their own pack-and-plays squeezed into their parents’ bedroom.—
Jeff Truesdell,
People.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Farnaz Farjam, one of the show’s executive producers, told Deadline that the production hustled to find a way to capture all three elements.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
1 Sep. 2025
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The band hustled to build their social-media accounts, play shows, and produce a new EP.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Sherry recalls one instance that stung in particular, when a friend pointed out his hair loss at a social gathering.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
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None stung more than the second inning, when Freddie Freeman led off with a single against Pirates rookie Braxton Ashcraft.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Passed over to his hapless son (Dacre Montgomery), our (anti-)hero wires a shotgun to his head and takes him hostage, claiming that the organization’s business maneuvers cheated him out of a substantial fortune.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
5 Sep. 2025
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The woman lives alone, AFP added, citing local media outlets, and was ultimately cheated out of approximately 1 million yen, or about $6,700.—
Jillian Frankel,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This was the case for me, as a freshman who was secretly stuck in a cycle of binge eating and restriction but whose outer appearance didn’t change.—
Mallary Tenore Tarpley,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
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And that has stuck pretty much ever since.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Bill Skarsgård stars as Kiritsis, a societal outcast who feels he’s been screwed over by the powers that be.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2025
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There's a channel that runs down the bottom of the down tube that the cables sit in, held in place by a plastic cover that's screwed onto the frame.—
JOHN TIMMER,
ArsTechnica,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The senior completed 19 of 26 passes for 142 yards and three TDs as Granada beat Monte Vista 19-7.—
Christian Babcock,
Mercury News,
11 Sep. 2025
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Analysts are often effusive in their praise of companies on their earnings calls after results beat expectations or a forecast is particularly impressive.—
Ari Levy,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plucked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plucked. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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