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
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Recent Examples of plucking
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, 29 Aug. 2025
It’s haltingly played, like a child plucking out the notes, to emphasize John’s deep connection to his daughter.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2025
The Vikings swooped in, plucking him for their 53-man roster.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
Imagine plucking a guitar string.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 16 Aug. 2025
As satisfying as tweezing may feel, plucking nose hairs leaves tiny open wounds inside the nose, a prime spot for bacteria to enter.
—Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 8 Aug. 2025
Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 29 Aug. 2025
It’s haltingly played, like a child plucking out the notes, to emphasize John’s deep connection to his daughter.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2025
The Vikings swooped in, plucking him for their 53-man roster.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
Imagine plucking a guitar string.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 16 Aug. 2025
As satisfying as tweezing may feel, plucking nose hairs leaves tiny open wounds inside the nose, a prime spot for bacteria to enter.
—Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plucking
Verb
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Row the dumbbell up towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.—
Jakob Roze,
Health,
8 Sep. 2025
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While startups occasionally push boundaries with optimization techniques—squeezing more efficiency out of existing silicon—barriers to entry are overwhelmingly high.—
Forbes.com,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This interaction damages skin cells and can trigger irritation, redness, stinging or burning.—
Leslie Baumann,
Miami Herald,
4 Sep. 2025
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Lapham also talked about the high of winning the AFC Championship in 1981, followed by the stinging loss to San Francisco in Super Bowl 16.—
Beryl Love,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Park Min-young played a timid wife seeking revenge on her cheating man in Marry My Husband.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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The basic logic of Article XIII is to promote fair play among the 30 teams and prevent teams from cheating.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Instead of hustling for one-day bookings, Patel engineered a system where one client often meant three to five events—maximizing return and loyalty.—
Sindhya Valloppillil,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Four astronauts returned to Earth after hustling to the International Space Station five months ago to relieve the stuck test pilots of Boeing’s Starliner.—
Jeremy Mikula,
NBC news,
10 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Wednesday confronts Bianca, who is bewildered about her Siren-song not sticking; Wednesday is taking control of things now and Bianca needs to trust her.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
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What was sticking closer to home in roles about?—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Jays spent much of their 2025 rise beating up on the Yankees, and three September games at Yankee Stadium presented a chance for one last jab.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Needless to say, beating the Jets was a good feeling for the 41-year-old signal caller.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Along the top of the fire, the crews continue working slowly parallel with, and sometimes on, the McKinley Grove Road, doing clearing vegetation by hand, applying pre-treatment, and conducting critical strategic firing operations to remove heavy vegetation in front of the active fire front.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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Present them with advice and encouragement and then present them with a reward for doing it, the T-shirt and the medal and the photographs.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For example, if a patient has recently had surgery or bleeding complications, medications may not be safe, and the team will rely more on mechanical devices and mobility.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Sep. 2025
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The other kind of stroke, a hemorrhagic stroke, results from a ruptured blood vessel that leads to bleeding into or around the brain, damaging brain cells.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plucking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plucking. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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