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
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Recent Examples of plucking
No plucking figures from the sky.
—
Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 5 June 2026
The only thing that prevented a shutout was Ross Colton plucking in a rebound off Brent Burns’ sniper off Hart’s chest.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 23 May 2026
The Lightning historically have done a tremendous job plucking NHL talent from the middle rounds of the draft.
—Eduardo Encina, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 May 2026
Which is why Hailey Bieber’s bright white, electric G-Wagon is parked just feet away from the office bullpen, where 20-something staffers of the full-service production company are plucking away at their computers.
—Lucy Feldman, Time, 6 May 2026
For some, working with soil evokes nostalgia for childhood summers, smelling thorny roses in bloom and plucking ripe tomatoes off the vine.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 20 Apr. 2026
Brawley hires football coach After a months-long search, Brawley High School has hired a football coach, plucking Rick Stewart away from Calipatria.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
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
Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 5 June 2026
The only thing that prevented a shutout was Ross Colton plucking in a rebound off Brent Burns’ sniper off Hart’s chest.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 23 May 2026
The Lightning historically have done a tremendous job plucking NHL talent from the middle rounds of the draft.
—Eduardo Encina, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 May 2026
Which is why Hailey Bieber’s bright white, electric G-Wagon is parked just feet away from the office bullpen, where 20-something staffers of the full-service production company are plucking away at their computers.
—Lucy Feldman, Time, 6 May 2026
For some, working with soil evokes nostalgia for childhood summers, smelling thorny roses in bloom and plucking ripe tomatoes off the vine.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 20 Apr. 2026
Brawley hires football coach After a months-long search, Brawley High School has hired a football coach, plucking Rick Stewart away from Calipatria.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plucking
Verb
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Carting around unhappy campers in 100-degree weather and squeezing work into a shorter window is not exactly being poolside with a marg.—
Abby McCloskey,
Twin Cities,
4 June 2026
-
The defense is disciplined, squeezing pressure from its trio of wings.—
Esfandiar Baraheni,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
If these stinging insects are nesting in your yard, look for the things that might be attracting wasps and learn how to keep them away.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
6 June 2026
-
All that said, the inability of Illinois’ political leaders to get their act together so as to put an alternative on the table in the face of Indiana’s aggressive move to poach the Bears is a stinging indictment of this state’s politicians.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2026
Verb
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Clarkson now is showing his value hustling for 50-50 balls while no longer being a liability on defense — a trait that’s followed him throughout his career.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
3 June 2026
-
The ball trickled behind second, and Hoerner kept going, hustling his way to second.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Welker asked Trump about his cheating claims.—
Alene Tchekmedyian,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2026
-
Cooper’s girlfriend accused Cooper of cheating and threw his phone against a wall of Cooper’s apartment, according to the affidavit.—
Nick Kosmider,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
Verb
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Other alleged nonconsensual behavior cited in the documents included locking the door of his office and sticking his hand in her pocket.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
-
In qualifying, Antonelli continued his heroics to take pole, but what no one really saw coming was Max Verstappen doing Max Verstappen things and sticking his Red Bull on the first row.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
Verb
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As shoppers gear up for their European summer sojourns, brands are beating the tourist rush and setting up shop across the continent with temporary seasonal stores, beach club pop-ups and limited-time activations to capture the attention and dollars of the high-spending set.—
Madeleine Schulz,
Vogue,
8 June 2026
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Fujimori, daughter of a disgraced former president, and Sánchez, an ally of an imprisoned ex-president, were on the runoff’s ballot after beating 33 other candidates in the vote in April, but neither earned even 20% of support.—
Franklin Briceño,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
Verb
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The screwworm gets its name from the maggots' habit of burrowing — or screwing — into a wound, according to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
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Put the stopper back in the sink before re-screwing the pivot nut, horizontal rod, and sliding your under sink items back into place.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Everybody knows that there’ll be certain parts that are doing okay, but a large part of the society in North Korea is very poor.—
Andrew McNicol,
CNN Money,
7 June 2026
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In coverage at Barron’s, Paul La Monica notes how Fidelity is probably doing this due to pressure from brokers like Robinhood that don’t have the same usual requirements.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plucking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plucking. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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