PLUCKS Synonyms: 79 Similar and Opposite Words

plucks 1 of 2

noun

plural of pluck

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

plucks

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of pluck

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of plucks

Noun

The opening acoustic guitar plucks were full in the lower frequencies while showing enough treble finesse to convey fine string texture. — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 14 June 2026

Verb

His torso and thighs grow eye-poppingly muscular beneath their skimpy fur-and-leather togs—a development that does not go unnoticed by a warrior named Red Hair, who plucks the young hunk from his post and tosses him into the prime time of the gladiator pit. — Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 15 June 2026 But the emotional gravity of this offering's deeply personal, melancholic lyrical content plucks an undeniably profound chord that uniquely separates it from the rest of his work. — Chris Barilla, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026 The multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter, who rocks an early era Maxwell ‘fro, plays drums, plucks bass, and sings about the ups and downs of love and consumerism on his new album, LK99. — Elise Brisco, Rolling Stone, 22 May 2026 Tabakis lightly strums and plucks over a glowing drone and chattering birds, offering an ecumenical introduction, a smiling welcome. — Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 14 May 2026 Carrera now plucks the melody in single notes. — Peter Wayne Moe, Longreads, 26 Mar. 2026 But if Rick later plucks something from behind that rock at the fire, are others going to start poking around looking for stuff? — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Mar. 2026 The first layer, called the Level-1 Trigger, or L1T, harvests 100,000 events per second, and the second layer, called the High-Level Trigger, or HLT, plucks 1,000 of those events to save for later analysis. — IEEE Spectrum, 3 Feb. 2026 From the metallic sheen of a beetle to the delicacy of a butterfly, Sandini described how Materia Futura plucks inspiration straight from nature. — Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 30 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for plucks

Noun

The European Investment Bank (EIB) estimates that roughly 200 wrecks, including warships, barges, tugs, and cargo vessels, remain scattered across a five-kilometer stretch of the river near Prahovo.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Aug. 2026
Momentus’ spacecraft can also serve as space tugs to ferry smaller satellites or experiments from one orbit to another.

— Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 9 July 2026

Definition of tugs

Verb

As engine speed rises, centrifugal force squeezes the drive clutch closed and pushes the belt farther outward.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Aug. 2026
Whereas the Scranton method mainly involves molding ultrahot steel in giant forging presses, Repkon added a step in which a fast-spinning machine squeezes and rolls out the metal like clay on a potter’s wheel.

— Jesse Coburn, ProPublica, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of squeezes

Verb

Jessica Gonzalez hustles behind her booth at the recent Renegade Craft Fair, frantically ringing up sales, answering questions and packaging her beeswax candles.

— Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Despite concerns that chip stocks could be topping out as the industry hustles to boost supply, Wall Street thinks Micron still has plenty of room to run.

— Tobias Burns, CNBC, 22 June 2026

Definition of hustles

Verb

February 19 – March 20 Your words may show where being misunderstood still stings.

— Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026
For van Ess, the decision particularly stings because Google Earth has long been regarded as one of the best tools to verify information posted on social media.

— Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 31 July 2026

Definition of stings

Verb

The standout episode—the conversion history of Kendra, a Black striver married to the Schwoopers’ daughter, Shira—sticks its landing, enabling the viewer to see faith as a refuge, not a cage.

— Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 9 July 2026
Otherwise, Kail sticks closely to the template established for him, recreating every scene and sequence from the first movie with ruthless fidelity and adding essentially no departures of any significance.

— Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 8 July 2026

Definition of sticks

Browse Nearby Words

plucking

plucks

plucky

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Plucks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plucks. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of plucks

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on plucks

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

prowess

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes