plunk

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   A brief, dull sound, such as the sound of a string of a stringed instrument being…

   A brief, dull sound, such as the sound of a string of a stringed instrument being plucked, or the thud of something landing on a surface.

   • They listened and could hear the steady plunk, plunk of an axe somewhere far above them.
2. 2

   A (heavy) blow or hit.

3. 3

   A dollar.

   • Den I gives him a five-plunk piece, and he gins me the shange.
   • Dere's a loidy here […] dat's got a necklace of jools what's wort' a hundred t'ousand plunks. Honest, boss. A hundred t'ousand plunks.
4. ›+ 16 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      A large sum of money.

   2. 5

      With a brief, dull sound, such as the thud of something landing on a surface.

   3. 6

      Directly, exactly, precisely.

      • [I]t's one thing to be buried with all your pleasures, like Sardanapalus; it's another to be buried right plunk in front of them, where you can see them.
   4. 7

      Often reduplicated

      Often reduplicated: used to represent a brief, dull sound, such as the sound of a string of a stringed instrument being plucked, or the thud of something landing on a surface.

      • Look at me; is my eye dilated? do you notice a quiver anywhere? Feel my pulse: plunk—plunk—plunk—same as if I were asleep.
      • John, swinging the axe, plunk, plunk, plunk, was chopping the thinner branches all to the same length.
   5. 8

      To move (something) with a sudden push.

      • The moving galley's bow was plunking them [oars] back through their own oar-holes, and I could hear no end of a shindy in the decks below.
   6. 9

      Chiefly followed by down or out

      Chiefly followed by down or out: to pay (money); to plank.

      • Just let them tell him a thing is pretty and fashionable, and Matthew plunks his money down for it.
   7. 10

      To pluck and quickly release (a string of a stringed instrument)

      To pluck and quickly release (a string of a stringed instrument); also, to play (a stringed instrument) by plucking strings; to play (a piano, etc.) by striking keys; or, to play (a note or tune) on such an instrument.

      • Her friends were boggled by how long it took her to plunk out simple texts, but Kate says she learned skills her peers have never had to master.
   8. 11

      Often followed by down

      Often followed by down: to drop, set, or throw (something, or oneself) abruptly and/or heavily into or on to a surface or some other thing, making a dull sound; to plump.

      • Enrique plunked his money down on the counter with a sigh and bellied up to the bar.
      • Exhausted, she plunked herself on the sofa.
   9. 12

      To hit or injure (someone or something)

      To hit or injure (someone or something); also, to shoot (someone or something) with a firearm.

      • Say, I jes' jumped d' bar, an' d' way I plunked [hit] dat bloke was outa sight. See? Dat's right! In d' jaw!
   10. 13

       To make a brief, dull sound, such as the thud of something landing on a surface

       To make a brief, dull sound, such as the thud of something landing on a surface; to thud.

   11. 14

       Followed by for

       Followed by for: to choose, to opt; to plump.

   12. 15

       To pluck and quickly release a string of a musical instrument

       To pluck and quickly release a string of a musical instrument; also, to play a stringed instrument by plucking strings; to play a piano, etc., by striking keys; or, to play a note or tune on such an instrument.

       • [D]eafening was what H. V. W. would call the din from the rock stars' dressing rooms where electric guitars whined, drums rattled, sitars plunked; and marijuana made the air a tender blue.
   13. 16

       Of a raven

       Of a raven: to croak.

   14. 17

       To be absent from (school) without permission

       To be absent from (school) without permission; to be a truant.

   15. 18

       To play truant.

       • Unless we repented and humbly begged for mercy … I might as well tell lies, break crockery, kick the cat, plunk from school, and enjoy my transgressions.
   16. 19

       A surname.

The neighborhood