plunk
noun · adverb · verb
Simple meaning
A brief, dull sound, such as the sound of a string of a stringed instrument being plucked.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
pluhngkIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈplʌŋk
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
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.
A hollow twanging sound
informal
A (heavy) blow or hit.
adverb
With a brief, dull sound, such as the thud of something landing on a surface.
by extension
Directly, exactly, precisely.
verb
intransitive
To make a brief, dull sound, such as the thud of something landing on a surface; to thud.
transitive
To move (something) with a sudden push.
transitivechiefly US
To hit or injure (someone or something); also, to shoot (someone or something) with a firearm.
transitivefigurative
Chiefly followed by down or out: to pay (money); to plank.
transitive
To be absent from (school) without permission; to be a truant.
intransitive
To play truant.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: 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.
Used this way, plunk is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Set (something or oneself) down with or as if with a noise.
Be behind.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.