as in squeezing
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 plucking
The United States pulled off a daring rescue of two aviators whose fighter jet was shot down by Iran, plucking the pilot from behind enemy lines before setting off a complicated extraction of the second service member who hid deep in the mountains as Tehran called for Iranians to help capture him.
—
Seung Min Kim, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2026
Michigan coach Dusty May had made the most of the transfer portal, plucking players out of it in each of his two years to remarkably rebuild a program that lost a school-record 24 games two years ago before firing former Fab Five player Juwan Howard.
—ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026
My niece requested an extra five minutes to say goodbye to the chickens and my nephew insisted on plucking just one more lemon from the yard.
—Lara Kramer, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Apr. 2026
When not plucking away at a keyboard, Madison teaches yoga and mountain bikes with her two Australian shepherds, Cholla and Poppy, through Missoula's Rattlesnake Wilderness.
—Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 28 Mar. 2026
And don’t forget the era of over-plucking—ahem, from the currently trending ‘90s—which resulted in super-thin eyebrows that never really fully grew back.
—Ana Morales, Vogue, 26 Mar. 2026
The fairy-tale qualities continue as Betty shows off the contents of her bedraggled herb garden to her new ward, plucking out an edible flower for Laura to sample.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2026
String player Matt Worley often stole the spotlight, making his banjo sound like a mandolin, while cellist Barney Morse-Brown ably covered the bass role, plucking the strings more often than bowing them.
—Thor Christensen, Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 2026
Abalone were once so plentiful, jumping on a surfboard and plucking a bag full off of rocks for dinner was a common pastime, with feasts held right on the sand.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 14 Mar. 2026
Seung Min Kim, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2026
Michigan coach Dusty May had made the most of the transfer portal, plucking players out of it in each of his two years to remarkably rebuild a program that lost a school-record 24 games two years ago before firing former Fab Five player Juwan Howard.
—ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026
My niece requested an extra five minutes to say goodbye to the chickens and my nephew insisted on plucking just one more lemon from the yard.
—Lara Kramer, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Apr. 2026
When not plucking away at a keyboard, Madison teaches yoga and mountain bikes with her two Australian shepherds, Cholla and Poppy, through Missoula's Rattlesnake Wilderness.
—Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 28 Mar. 2026
And don’t forget the era of over-plucking—ahem, from the currently trending ‘90s—which resulted in super-thin eyebrows that never really fully grew back.
—Ana Morales, Vogue, 26 Mar. 2026
The fairy-tale qualities continue as Betty shows off the contents of her bedraggled herb garden to her new ward, plucking out an edible flower for Laura to sample.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2026
String player Matt Worley often stole the spotlight, making his banjo sound like a mandolin, while cellist Barney Morse-Brown ably covered the bass role, plucking the strings more often than bowing them.
—Thor Christensen, Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 2026
Abalone were once so plentiful, jumping on a surfboard and plucking a bag full off of rocks for dinner was a common pastime, with feasts held right on the sand.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 14 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plucking
Verb
-
The parents of a toddler who suffered a minor injury at a Pennsylvania theme park zoo after squeezing through a fence near a wolf enclosure and making contact with one of the animals have been charged with endangering the welfare of children, police said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Every piece is so soft, almost like squeezing mini chunks of cotton candy.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
With their long stinging tentacles, these big siphonophores do seem like the most likely suspects.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Alcohol can be stinging and drying to the skin.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Braves players worked on hustling first to third on a soft single to the outfield, or breaking toward home on a dribbler in the infield.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Meanwhile, McCutchen walked for the fourth straight game and beat out an infield single, hustling hard to first on a squibber down the third base line.—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Most people would agree that cheating and planning a school shooting are hardly equal offenses, and Borgli doesn't totally stick the landing by sweeping Emma's past impulses under the rug.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
-
In the past, Bravo has resumed filming when controversies including its shows have arisen, most notably with the Vanderpump Rules season 10 cheating scandal called Scandoval.—
McKinley Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Her birthday cake sits on the bed next to her, a piece removed, the knife sticking in the side like a murder weapon.—
Tony Bravo,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
-
But some people were referring to the movie internally as Pizza Movie, and that was sticking.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Willacy, who received the death penalty for beating his neighbor with a hammer and setting her on fire in 1990 in Palm Bay, Florida, is scheduled to be executed on April 21.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Meanwhile, UConn earned a ticket to the final game after beating Illinois, 71-62, in hopes of earning its seventh championship title.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
To make a profit from their business, American companies sent their manufacturing facilities overseas, screwing American workers by incurring smaller labor costs, therefore profiting rich investors who never had to work for it and used their money to make more money off the American consumer.—
Jay Reddick,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 Mar. 2026
-
All the setup required was screwing in the legs.—
Noah Kaufman,
Architectural Digest,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Even the Altitude Edition with the black wheels -- at the time no one was really doing that.—
Morgan Korn,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
The authority on gardening in the South loved doing live shows and meeting his fans.—
Rodney Ho,
AJC.com,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plucking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plucking. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
