Thesaurus results for PLUCKING

plucking

verb

present participle of pluck

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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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 Getting up from their seats backstage at Bear Shadow, Pandolfi and Falco head over to meet up with the other three Dusters who are plucking a few notes on their instruments under a large maple tree behind the stage. — Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 20 Oct. 2026 Upending global trade, plucking a dictator out of Caracas, escalating to full-on war with Iran, shredding alliances, courting despots — the major twists and turns of this administration never end. — Kate Andrews, Washington Post, 17 Oct. 2026 LLMs are great at finding blowups that exist—at searching the infinite landscape of fluid scenarios and plucking out the precise situation that breaks the equations. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 21 Sep. 2026 Fortunately, many dahlia insect problems in September can be solved by walking through the garden in the morning and plucking the offending insects off the plants by hand, then dropping them into a container of soapy water. — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Sep. 2026 Weiss has been reworking CBS News’ broadcast lineup, plucking Tony Dokoupil from the program for the Evening News slot, and most recently overhauling 60 Minutes under new executive producer Nick Bilton. — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026 The streamer has found its leading lady for the biopic, plucking an unknown first-timer to play the sertanejo icon. — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026 Dramatic photos taken from the scene show a firefighter on a tower ladder plucking a panicked child from a fire escape. — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026 Behind a huge picture window, a group of women in black caps were plucking bones from anchovies one by one with tweezers. — Simon Willis, Travel + Leisure, 4 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for plucking

Verb

The remarks followed the release of strong quarterly results, with revenue and earnings beating analysts’ expectations despite a 6% downturn in revenue due to pressure squeezing all broadband purveyors.

— Dade Hayes, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026
Fuel expenses are squeezing daily household budgets and tightening cash flow toward the end of the month, with reports indicating a growing number of French employees are requesting payroll advances to manage month end expenses.

— , CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of squeezing

Verb

Continue reading … CROSSING THE AISLE — Manchin delivers stinging rebuke to Schumer with surprise Senate campaign stop.

— , FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
That money has been transformed into frequent online and television ads either stinging or lauding the two candidates.

— John Aguilar, Denver Post, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of stinging

Verb

That urgency has marked Holden’s prolific output—especially the thrilling first installment of his Supreme Magnetic series in 2025 and 2022’s Joe Frog—as the Harlem rapper uses his street-hustling past to paint an autobiographical portrait.

— Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
The 30-second teaser sees Jackson hustling around town, making money and recruiting his team of crooks.

— Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of hustling

Verb

With all respect to West’s previous cheating-on-television canon, War might be his finest adulterous work.

— Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 24 Oct. 2026
Wood was vindicated three years later, when a league investigation revealed the Astros had been cheating in 2017, stealing signs from a television monitor next to the dugout and relaying them to batters by banging on trash cans.

— Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of cheating

Verb

Along with being a calf-sticking impostor, Conrad, according to Hemingway, was a malicious defamer.

— Stephen Bates, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026
The Turkish and Yemeni traditions that incorporate cloves give the current trend a cultural anchor that pure wellness fads typically lack, which may be part of why this one is sticking.

— Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of sticking

Verb

The automaker just cut the high end of its forecast and saw its share price drop, even while beating expectations for the quarter.

— Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
The Dodgers-Yankees series lasted five games, and the Dodgers beat up on the Yankees when the Yankees weren’t beating themselves.

— Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of beating

Verb

Unlike MacKay’s Ferrars, seemingly the more loyal and irreproachable type, both men end up screwing over the Dashwoods in their own ways.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2026
In a video from March 4, 2019, her co-worker David Xu can be seen approaching her desk, pouring a substance into the bottle, screwing the lid back on and quickly walking away.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of screwing

Verb

In 2025 the hyperscalers alone poured more than $300 billion into data centers, chips, and grid capacity, and that spend is doing real work in the top-line growth figures.

— Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
What employers are doing Kostka says there have recently been fewer health insurers in her area to choose from.

— Alana Semuels, Time, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of doing

Browse Nearby Words

pluckiness

plucking

plucks

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Style

“Plucking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plucking. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of plucking

verb

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