51Թ

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plug

[pluhg]

noun

  1. a piece of wood or other material used to stop up a hole or aperture, to fill a gap, or to act as a wedge.

  2. a core or interior segment taken from a larger matrix.

  3. 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.

  4. spark plug.

  5. a fireplug or hydrant.

  6. a cake of pressed tobacco.

  7. a piece of tobacco cut off for chewing.

  8. 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.

  9. 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.

  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.

  15. Slang.punch.

  16. Metalworking.

    1. a mandrel on which tubes are formed.

    2. a punch on which a cup is drawn.

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

    4. 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.plug and feathers

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



verb (used with object)

plugged, plugging 
  1. to stop or fill with or as if with a plug (often followed byup ).

    to plug up a leak; plug a gap.

  2. to insert or drive a plug into.

  3. to secure with or as if with a plug.

  4. to insert (something) as a plug.

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

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

    a plugged nickel.

  7. 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.

  8. Slang.to punch with the fist.

  9. Slang.to shoot or strike with a bullet.

verb (used without object)

plugged, plugging 
  1. to work with stubborn persistence (often followed by along oraway ).

    You're doing a fine job—just keep plugging. Some writers will plug away at the same novel for several years.

  2. Informal.to publicize insistently.

    Whenever he gets the chance, he's plugging for his company.

  3. Slang.to shoot or fire shots.

verb phrase

    1. to connect to an electrical power source.

      Plug the TV set in over there.

    2. Informalto add or include; incorporate.

      They still have to plug in more research data.

  1. to become plugged.

    The drain in the sink plugs up every so often.

    1. 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.

    2. Informalto feel an affinity for; like; understand.

      Some kids just don't plug into sports in school.

plug

/ ʌɡ /

noun

  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

    1. a cake of pressed or twisted tobacco, esp for chewing

    2. a small piece of such a cake

  6. angling a weighted artificial lure with one or more sets of hooks attached, used in spinning

  7. a seedling with its roots encased in potting compost, grown in a tray with compartments for each individual plant

  8. informala recommendation or other favourable mention of a product, show, etc, as on television, on radio, or in newspapers

  9. slanga shot, blow, or punch (esp in the phrase take a plug at )

  10. informalthe mechanism that releases water to flush a lavatory (esp in the phrase pull the plug )

  11. an old horse

  12. informalto put a stop to

“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

verb

  1. (tr) to stop up or secure (a hole, gap, etc) with or as if with a plug

  2. (tr) to insert or use (something) as a plug

    to plug a finger into one's ear

  3. informal(tr) to make favourable and often-repeated mentions of (a song, product, show, etc), esp on television, on radio, or in newspapers

  4. slang(tr) to shoot with a gun

    he plugged six rabbits

  5. slang(tr) to punch or strike

  6. informal(intr; foll by along, away, etc) to work steadily or persistently

“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
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • pluggable adjective
  • pluggingly adverb
  • plugless adjective
  • pluglike adjective
  • ˈܲ noun
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of plug1

1620–30; < Dutch; cognate with German Pflock
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of plug1

C17: from Middle Dutch plugge; related to Middle Low German plugge, German Pflock
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. pull the plug on,

    1. to discontinue or terminate.

      The government has threatened to pull the plug on further subsidies.

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

In addition to the idiom beginning with plug, also see peg (plug) away at; pull the plug on.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Prescott was no longer responsible for transport schemes and his successor, Alistair Darling, pulled the plug, telling Leeds that it would only get funding if it came back with a "bus-based alternative".

From

"They used mattresses to plug the gap which had opened up in the hull of the SS Nantes," he said.

From

Like its predecessor, it is a "hybrid" console - a handheld device which can also be plugged into a TV to play on the big screen.

From

That extra tax revenue plus the much-needed extra workers to plug gaps in the labour market will maintain economic growth and ensure future pension payments are covered, he says.

From

Campaigners and politicians have repeatedly told the government to "crack on" and criticised the time it has taken to plug what has been seen as a gap in environmental protections after Brexit.

From

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When To Use

What else does plug mean?

Content warning: this article references illegal and illicit drugs.A plug (or the plug) is a person who has the ability to get or supply hard-to-find items, especially drugs.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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pluckyplug and feathers