Synonyms of 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

• squeezing
• stinging
• hustling
• cheating
• sticking
• beating
• screwing
• doing
• bleeding
• fiddling
• fleecing
• chiseling
• suckering
• reaming
• tricking
• swindling
• victimizing
• deceiving
• diddling
• shorting
• defrauding
• exploiting
• skinning
• rooking
• gaffing
• bilking
• mulcting
• conning
• shortchanging
• shaking down
• hosing
• cozening
• clipping
• ripping off
• stiffing
• fooling
• nobbling
• betraying
• flimflamming
• euchring
• doing in
• thimblerigging
• wrenching
• chousing
• taking for a ride
• extorting
• wringing
• nicking
• gouging
• taking to the cleaners
• soaking
• skunking
• milking
• wresting
• selling a bill of goods to
• overcharging
• gulling
• duping
• bitching
• double-crossing
• roping (in)
• bamboozling
• fast-talking

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of plucking

Unlike a razor, which simply cuts hair at the surface, an epilator removes it from the root by mechanically plucking multiple hairs at once. — Iman Balagam, Vogue, 17 July 2026

One of Noe’s younger boys stood on a ladder under the orange tree, plucking fruit from the branches and chucking them to the ground, scattering the chickens. — Literary Hub, 16 July 2026

Scarlett, meanwhile, keeps a steady gaze while plucking away at her bass. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026

Harvest your strawberries by gently plucking or cutting the stem less than half an inch above the berry. — Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 12 July 2026

There is no longer much question as to whether Platner is suitable for public office, and even less question as to whether plucking him from political obscurity made any sense. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026

Gardening, floral arranging, and plucking dirt from fresh herbs and veggies can be messy projects. — Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 4 July 2026

As with the studio version, the track began with Lifeson plucking out a delicate intro on a nylon-string guitar before blasting into monster electric riffs. — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2026

Repeatedly plucking off leaves is simpler than using boiling water. — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 June 2026