plug in

Electricity. a device to which may be attached the conductors of a cord and which by insertion in a jack, or screwing into a receptacle, establishes contact.

spark plug ( def 1 ).

a fireplug or hydrant.

a cake of pressed tobacco.

a piece of tobacco cut off for chewing.

Informal. the favorable mention of something, as in a lecture, radio show, etc.; advertisement; recommendation: The actress was happy to give her new show a plug.

Angling. an artificial lure made of wood, plastic, or metal, and fitted with one or more gang hooks, used chiefly in casting.

10.

Geology, neck ( def 14 ).

11.

Slang. a worn-out or inferior horse.

12.

Informal. a shopworn or unsalable article.

13.

a small piece of sod used especially for seeding a lawn.

14.

a patch of scalp with viable hair follicles that is used as a graft for a bald part of the head. Compare hair transplant.

15.

Slang. punch¹ ( def 1 ).

16.

Metalworking.

a mandrel on which tubes are formed.

a punch on which a cup is drawn.

a protrusion on a forging die for forming a recess in the work.

a false bottom on a die.

17.

Also called dook. a small piece of wood inserted into masonry as a hold for a nail.

18.

Masonry. See under plug and feathers.

19.

Also called plug hat. a man's tall silk hat.

verb (used with object)

20.

to stop or fill with or as if with a plug (often followed by up ): to plug up a leak; plug a gap.

21.

to insert or drive a plug into.

22.

to secure with or as if with a plug.

23.

to insert (something) as a plug.

24.

to remove a core or a small plug-shaped piece from.

25.

to remove the center of (a coin) and replace it with a baser metal: a plugged nickel.

26.

Informal. to mention (something) favorably, as in a lecture, radio show, etc.: He says he will appear if he can plug his new TV series.

27.

Slang. to punch with the fist.

28.

Slang. to shoot or strike with a bullet.

verb (used without object)

29.

to work with stubborn persistence (often followed by along or away ): You're doing a fine job—just keep plugging. Some writers will plug away at the same novel for several years.

30.

Informal. to publicize insistently: Whenever he gets the chance, he's plugging for his company.

31.

Slang. to shoot or fire shots.

Verb phrases

32.

plug in,

to connect to an electrical power source: Plug the TV set in over there.

Informal. to add or include; incorporate: They still have to plug in more research data.

33.

plug into,

to connect or become connected by or as if by means of a plug: The device will plug into any convenient wall outlet. The proposed new departments would eventually plug into the overall organizational plan.

Informal. to feel an affinity for; like; understand: Some kids just don't plug into sports in school.

34.

plug up, to become plugged: The drain in the sink plugs up every so often.

Idioms

35.

pull the plug on, Informal.

to discontinue or terminate: The government has threatened to pull the plug on further subsidies.

to disconnect life-sustaining equipment from (a moribund patient).

Origin:
1620–30; < Dutch; cognate with German Pflock

Related forms

plug·ga·ble, adjective

plug·ging·ly, adverb

plug·less, adjective

plug·like, adjective

Link To plug in

Collins

World English Dictionary

plug (plʌɡ)

—n
1.	a piece of wood, cork, or other material, often cylindrical in shape, used to stop up holes and gaps or as a wedge for taking a screw or nail
2.	such a stopper used esp to close the waste pipe of a bath, basin, or sink while it is in use and removed to let the water drain away
3.	a device having one or more pins to which an electric cable is attached: used to make an electrical connection when inserted into a socket
4.	Also called: volcanic plug a mass of solidified magma filling the neck of an extinct volcano
5.	See sparking plug
6.	a. a cake of pressed or twisted tobacco, esp for chewing
	b. a small piece of such a cake
7.	angling a weighted artificial lure with one or more sets of hooks attached, used in spinning
8.	a seedling with its roots encased in potting compost, grown in a tray with compartments for each individual plant
9.	informal a recommendation or other favourable mention of a product, show, etc, as on television, on radio, or in newspapers
10.	slang a shot, blow, or punch (esp in the phrase take a plug at)
11.	informal the mechanism that releases water to flush a lavatory (esp in the phrase pull the plug)
12.	chiefly (US) an old horse
13.	informal pull the plug on to put a stop to

—vb , plugs, plugging, plugged
14.	(tr) to stop up or secure (a hole, gap, etc) with or as if with a plug
15.	(tr) to insert or use (something) as a plug: to plug a finger into one's ear
16.	informal (tr) to make favourable and often-repeated mentions of (a song, product, show, etc), esp on television, on radio, or in newspapers
17.	slang (tr) to shoot with a gun: he plugged six rabbits
18.	slang (tr) to punch or strike
19.	informal (intr; foll by along, away, etc) to work steadily or persistently

[C17: from Middle Dutch plugge; related to Middle Low German plugge, German Pflock]

'plugger

—n

plug in

—vb
1.	(tr, adverb) to connect (an electrical appliance) with a power source by means of an electrical plug

—n
2.	a device that can be connected by means of a plug
3.	computing a module or piece of software that can be added to a system to provide extra functions or features, esp software that enhances the capabilities of a web browser
4.	computing (as modifier): plug-in memory cards

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

plug

1627, originally a seamen's term, probably from Du. plug, from M.Du. plugge "bung, stopper," related to Norw. plugg, Dan. pløg, M.L.G. pluck, Ger. pflock, ultimate origin uncertain. Sense of "wad or stick of tobacco" is attested from 1728. Electrical sense is from 1883; meaning "sparking device

in an internal combustion engine" is from 1886. The verb meaning "to close tightly (a hole), to fill" is first recorded 1630. Meaning "advertisement" first recorded 1902, perhaps from verb sense "work energetically at" (c.1865). The noun sense of "advertisement" is from 1902, Amer.Eng. The verb meaning "to popularize by repetition" is from 1906. Slang verb sense "to put a bullet into" is recorded from 1870. Plug-ugly "ruffian" is first attested 1856, originally in Baltimore, from plug, Amer.Eng. slang for the stovepipe hats then popular among young men.

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

plug (plŭg)
n.
A dense mass of material filling a hole or closing an orifice. v. plugged, plug·ging, plugs
To fill tightly with a plug.

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

plug-in

(plŭg'ĭn') Pronunciation Key
An accessory software or hardware package that is used in conjunction with an existing application or device to extend its capabilities or provide additional functions.

Slang Dictionary

plug definition

n.
a bite-sized, pressed mass of chewing tobacco. : He put a plug in his cheek and walked away.
n.
a drink of beer; a slugof beer. : Let me have a plug out of that bottle.
n.
a free advertisement or a commercial boost from someone for a product. (See also plugola.) : I managed to get a plug on the Mike Michael show.
tv.
to give an advertisement or commercial boost for something without having to pay for it. : I want to get on that TV program and plug my new book.
Go to pluck. :

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

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