plunk

[ pluhngk ]
See synonyms for plunk on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
  1. to pluck (a stringed instrument or its strings); twang: to plunk a guitar.

  2. to throw, push, put, drop, etc., heavily or suddenly; plump (often followed by down): Plunk down your money. She plunked herself down on the seat.

  1. to push, shove, toss, etc. (sometimes followed by in, over, etc.): to plunk the ball over the net; to plunk a pencil into a drawer.

verb (used without object)
  1. to give forth a twanging sound.

  2. to drop heavily or suddenly; plump (often followed by down): to plunk down somewhere and take a nap.

noun
  1. act or sound of plunking.

  2. Informal. a direct, forcible blow.

  1. Slang. a dollar.

adverb
  1. Informal. with a plunking sound.

  2. Informal. squarely; exactly: The tennis ball landed plunk in the middle of the net.

Origin of plunk

1
First recorded in 1760–70; expressive word akin to pluck

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use plunk in a sentence

  • Now Eliza plunked the soup-pot down upon the range and wheeled to face John.

    Girl Scouts at Dandelion Camp | Lillian Elizabeth Roy
  • Another "plunked" Sir Toady in a locality which he held yet more tender, especially, as now, before dinner.

    Red Cap Tales | Samuel Rutherford Crockett
  • The lead balls of their own black-powder rifles would have plunked into the water-logged wood without visible effect.

    The Return | H. Beam Piper and John J. McGuire
  • I walked in and saw the letter was still there and plunked it into my desk.

    Warren Commission (3 of 26): Hearings Vol. III (of 15) | The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
  • He plunked like a jolly elephant into the largest and most comfortable chair in the room and wheezed for breath.

    The Haunted Pajamas | Francis Perry Elliott

British Dictionary definitions for plunk

plunk

/ (plʌŋk) /


verb
  1. to pluck (the strings) of (a banjo, harp, etc) or (of such an instrument) to give forth a sound when plucked

  2. (often foll by down) to drop or be dropped, esp heavily or suddenly

noun
  1. the act or sound of plunking

  2. informal a hard blow

interjection
  1. an exclamation imitative of the sound of something plunking

adverb
  1. informal exactly; squarely: plunk into his lap

Origin of plunk

1
C20: imitative

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012