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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That could be due to tariffs squeezing automakers, disincentivizing them from giving discounts.—
Senior Reporter,
PC Magazine,
12 Sep. 2025
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This could be done by either squeezing the regular season even tighter with more midweek fixtures or putting the Wembley final back a week.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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It’s revealed that Sklar was Lori’s inspiration as a child to become an artist, only to crush that spark a dozen or so years later with stinging cruelty.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Sep. 2025
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Perhaps the loss, coupled with seeing Parsons thrive in Green Bay as the Packers get off to a hot start, is stinging the Cowboys’ top cornerback in Week 1.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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There are things worse than cheating.—
Essence,
Essence,
12 Sep. 2025
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Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal reported an uptick in the sale of blue books as a safeguard in testing to avoid students using AI for cheating.—
Laurel Donnellan,
Forbes.com,
11 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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And sticking close to home may pay untold dividends for inhabitants’ mental health, Gorman said.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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Have fun sticking it to the man—or the raccoon, as the case may be.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Yes, that’s Lane Kiffin adapting by becoming a basketball goal (while also adapting by beating Arkansas 41-35 with Division II Ferris State transfer Trinidad Chambliss stepping in for Austin Simmons at QB).—
Jason Kirk,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
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Both sides have also carried out arbitrary detentions, with SAF interrogating and beating dozens of Christians in 2024 and 2025.—
Paul Tilsley,
FOXNews.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In doing so, Martin implicated billionaire bankers, major American corporations, and Colombia’s political elite.—
Martin Suarez,
Rolling Stone,
13 Sep. 2025
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Back on the balcony, the magician was doing his best to charm basketball players Devin Booker and Jordan Clarkson with card tricks.—
Kristen Tauer,
Footwear News,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Legacy ended with Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), son of Kevin Flynn, preventing the digital world from bleeding into the real world, as planned by the Grid's malevolent ruling program, Clu.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
11 Sep. 2025
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Every disconnected payment system in your enterprise stack is bleeding money, and too many CFOs don't even know how much.—
Dave Glaser,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plucking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plucking. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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