What does "plunk" mean?
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.
Plunk
/plʌŋk/ adv, intj, name, noun, verb, slang
adv, intj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: 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.
- Grammar: plunk is listed as adv, intj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abruptly, all at once, all of a sudden, bang.
- Useful contrasts: continuity, lift, polish.
- Usage evidence: Heaving a great sigh I plunk my bread on the table and flump onto the chair.
How to use "plunk"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "plunk" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "plunk" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "plunk" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "plunk" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "plunk" is acting as adv, intj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abruptly" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "plunk", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 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 (baseball) hitting a baseball so that it drops suddenly wordnet
- 3 A (heavy) blow or hit. informal
- 4 a hollow twanging sound wordnet
- 5 A dollar. US, archaic, obsolete, slang
"Den I gives him a five-plunk piece, and he gins me the shange."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A large sum of money. obsolete, rare, slang
Verb
- 1 To move (something) with a sudden push. informal, transitive
"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."
- 2 To be absent from (school) without permission; to be a truant. Scotland, informal, transitive
- 3 pull lightly but sharply with a plucking motion wordnet
- 4 Chiefly followed by down or out: to pay (money); to plank. figuratively, informal, transitive
"Just let them tell him a thing is pretty and fashionable, and Matthew plunks his money down for it."
- 5 To play truant. Scotland, informal, intransitive
"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."
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 set (something or oneself) down with or as if with a noise wordnet
- 7 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. informal, transitive
"Your bass teacher loathed you for loathing the instrument. Every lesson was the same: You would plunk out a few notes, and he would stop you. "Did you practice?" / "Some," you would say. / "You have to practice." / "I know." / Practicing was the most boring thing you had ever done. Plunk plunk plunk (rest). Plunk plunk plunk (rest). That was pretty much how the double bass part went in every piece of music your teacher assigned you. He was right, you never practiced."
- 8 drop steeply wordnet
- 9 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. also, informal, reflexive, transitive
"Enrique plunked his money down on the counter with a sigh and bellied up to the bar."
- 10 make or move along with a sound as of a horse's hooves striking the ground wordnet
- 11 To hit or injure (someone or something); also, to shoot (someone or something) with a firearm. US, informal, transitive
"Say, I jes' jumped d' bar, an' d' way I plunked [hit] dat bloke was outa sight. See? Dat's right! In d' jaw!"
- 12 To hit or injure (someone or something); also, to shoot (someone or something) with a firearm.; To pitch a ball in a way that it hits (a player). US, informal, transitive
"The Braves retaliated by plunking Harper in the next inning."
- 13 To make a brief, dull sound, such as the thud of something landing on a surface; to thud. informal, intransitive
- 14 Followed by for: to choose, to opt; to plump. figuratively, informal, intransitive
- 15 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. informal, intransitive
"[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."
- 16 Often followed by down: to drop, land, or set abruptly and/or heavily into or on to a surface or some other thing with a dull sound; to plump down. informal, intransitive
- 17 Of a raven: to croak. informal, intransitive, obsolete
Adverb
- 1 With a brief, dull sound, such as the thud of something landing on a surface. informal, not-comparable
- 2 Directly, exactly, precisely. broadly, informal, not-comparable
""Bang!" went a gun behind me. I heard the whistle of shot. Something stung me sharply on the cheek, and I fell forward on my face, giving myself up for lost. […] "Oh, ye will never dee o' a chairge o' guid saft garden peas!" said the daft lassie, scornfully. "Maybe no," retorted I, for my choler was raised. "They are a' vera weel in broth, but if you got them plunk on the jaw, wi' a strong chairge o' powder ahint them, they might bring the water to your e'en as well as mine.""
Adverb
- 1 with a short hollow thud wordnet
Intj
- 1 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. informal
"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."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Heaving a great sigh I plunk my bread on the table and flump onto the chair."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "plunk"?
Common synonyms include: abruptly, all at once, all of a sudden, bang, bash, bat.
How do you use "plunk" in a sentence?
Heaving a great sigh I plunk my bread on the table and flump onto the chair.
How do you pronounce "plunk"?
Pronounced /plʌŋk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Onomatopoeic; the noun is attested earlier than the verb. Noun etymology 1 sense 3 (“dollar; large sum of money”) may refer to the sound of a coin hitting a surface. As regards verb etymology 1 sense 1.4 (“(transitive) to drop, set, or throw (something, or oneself) abruptly and/or heavily”) and etymology 1 sense 2.4 (“(intransitive) to drop, land, or set abruptly and/or heavily”), compare French plonquer (Picardy), a variant of plonger (“to plunge”).
Etymology 2
Origin uncertain; possibly the same as plunk (etymology 1), or related to Dutch plenken (“(archaic) to wander around; (Limburg, archaic) to play truant”).