as in tugs
the act or an instance of applying force on something so that it moves in the direction of the force
a quick pluck pulled the hair right out
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in squeezes
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of plucks
Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 20 Dec. 2025
As Natalie walks away from Shayne, possibly for good, and as Venus and some entity named Gabby lunge for each other, Katie Maloney Schwartz Maloney plucks out her earbuds, pulls her sunglasses off her cunty little bob, closes her copy of The Shards, and packs up her bag.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
The Lizzie McGuire star, 38, then plucks a pair of Munchkins from their box.
—Erin Clements, PEOPLE, 16 Dec. 2025
The dog jumps up and plucks the burger from her—a move that left viewers stunned and amused by the canine's flawless execution.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
There may be even greater reasons to put an ad that plucks the heartstrings in front of a broader crowd.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
Suddenly, Jeff Parker plucks a sighing six-note guitar run, dropping his shoulders into a solo section that carries the tune to its swooning conclusion.
—Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 20 Dec. 2025
As Natalie walks away from Shayne, possibly for good, and as Venus and some entity named Gabby lunge for each other, Katie Maloney Schwartz Maloney plucks out her earbuds, pulls her sunglasses off her cunty little bob, closes her copy of The Shards, and packs up her bag.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
The Lizzie McGuire star, 38, then plucks a pair of Munchkins from their box.
—Erin Clements, PEOPLE, 16 Dec. 2025
The dog jumps up and plucks the burger from her—a move that left viewers stunned and amused by the canine's flawless execution.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
There may be even greater reasons to put an ad that plucks the heartstrings in front of a broader crowd.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plucks
Noun
-
These motorcycles were so well-built that they were even employed in both World Wars, mainly as dispatch bikes and sidecar tugs for the British armed forces.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Dec. 2025
-
The first, known as the radial velocity technique, looks for slight wobbles in the star’s position, as the gravity of an orbiting exoplanet tugs it one way and then the other.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
1 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
This example of the latter skillfully squeezes a comfortable home for two into a single shipping container.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
11 Jan. 2026
-
As the moon follows an elliptical path, Saturn’s gravity stretches and squeezes it.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Each sub-agent starts with fresh context rather than accumulating information in a single conversation thread, enabling larger pulls across multiple sources and longer tasks without hitting context limits.—
Janakiram MSV,
Forbes.com,
16 Jan. 2026
-
The days when there were only a few options for kitchen cabinet knobs and pulls are long gone.—
Maria Sabella,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Most notably, watch here as backup center Oso Ighodaro shuts down Jalen Brunson’s final attempt to tie the score, then Grayson Allen deflects his pass, hustles into the backcourt and banks it off Mikal Bridges’ face and out of bounds.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
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The pair goes out and hustles other players with a cunning ruse that relies on the era’s racial and ethnic divisions.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Losing Sproat stings as a player the Mets drafted twice and developed into a big-league starter, but the right-hander out of the University of Florida is still unproven.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
22 Jan. 2026
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January 20 – February 18 When pride stings, compassion clears the air.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Blashill wants the Blackhawks to be a fast-pressure team at both ends of the rink, one that attacks vertically but never cheats for offense.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Barb appears, and sticks the device in Hank’s neck, pulling out the fusion chip.—
Jack King,
Vulture,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Sir Jimmy sticks a knife in Kelson, which turns out to be a mortal wound, but Spike and Kelly (Erin Kellyman) – aka Jimmy Ink – attack Sir Jimmy.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
17 Jan. 2026
Verb
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After a long day, nothing beats sipping it neat, appreciating the craftsmanship and the layers of flavor.—
Noel Burgess,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
This helps regulate how the heart beats.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plucks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plucks. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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