plunk

plural plunks

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.

   1930 July 21, Arthur Ransome, “The Charcoal-burners”, in Swallows & Amazons, London: Jonathan Cape, […], published 1953, →OCLC, page 131

   Synonyms: plonk, plump

2. informalA (heavy) blow or hit.
3. USarchaicobsoleteslangA dollar.

   Den I gives him a five-plunk piece, and he gins me the shange.

   1885 September 16, “A Terrible Experience”, in H[enry] C[uyler] Bunner, editor, Puck, volume XVIII, number 445, New York, N.Y.: Keppler & Schwarzmann, →OCLC, page 43, column 3

   1 more example

   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.

   A Gentleman of Leisure

   1910 May 11, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, “Spike’s Views”, in The Intrusion of Jimmy [A Gentleman of Leisure], New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap, published 1910, →OCLC, page 126

4. obsoleterareslangA large sum of money.

1. informalnot comparableWith a brief, dull sound, such as the thud of something landing on a surface.
2. broadlyinformalnot comparableDirectly, 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.

   1953 September 18, Saul Bellow, chapter V, in The Adventures of Augie March […], New York, N.Y.: The Viking Press, →OCLC, page 75

   1 more example

   "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."

   "Oh, you will never die of a charge of good soft garden peas!" […] / "Maybe not, […] They are all very well in broth, but if you got them plunk on the jaw, with a strong charge of powder behind them, they might bring the water to your eyes as well as mine."

   1897, S[amuel] R[utherford] Crockett, “Wager of Battle”, in Lads’ Love, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC, pages 55–56

   Synonyms: plump, accurately, correctly, dead-nuts, definitely, directly, even, for sure

1. informalOften 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.

   John, swinging the axe, plunk, plunk, plunk, was chopping the thinner branches all to the same length.

   1936, Arthur Ransome, “A Run on Blowpipes”, in Pigeon Post, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published October 1944, →OCLC, page 292

   2 more examples

   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.

   1892, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter XIX, in The American Claimant, New York, N.Y.: Charles L[uther] Webster & Co., →OCLC, page 196

   It was the noise of rowing, hard, fast rowing, the noise of two pairs of oars in a native boat, pin oars, and the slap, slap of a boat's bows into the short waves. She knew that noise well. It came nearer and nearer. It passed close by her. Plunk, plunk. She could hear the splash of the oars so clearly that she almost thought she could see the boat in the dark.

   1930 July 21, Arthur Ransome, “Titty Alone”, in Swallows & Amazons, London: Jonathan Cape, […], published 1953, →OCLC, page 207

present singular third person plunks · participle present plunking · participle past plunked · past plunked

1. informaltransitiveTo 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.

   1893, Rudyard Kipling, “The Disturber of Traffic”, in Many Inventions, London; New York, N.Y.: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 16

2. figurativelyinformaltransitiveChiefly 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.

   1908 June, L[ucy] M[aud] Montgomery, “The Hotel Concert”, in Anne of Green Gables, Boston, Mass.: L[ouis] C[oues] Page & Company, published August 1909, →OCLC, page 373

3. informaltransitiveentertainmentTo 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.

   2025 September 6, Catherine Pearson, “She Started the Debate About Kids and Phones. Now She Wants to End It.”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC

   1 more example

   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.

   2010, Joan Wickersham, “The Boys’ School, or The News from Spain”, in Sven Birkerts, editor, AGNI, number 72, Boston, Mass.: Boston University, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 26

   Synonyms: twang

4. alsoinformalreflexivetransitiveOften 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.

   Exhausted, she plunked herself on the sofa.

   1 more example

   Enrique plunked his money down on the counter with a sigh and bellied up to the bar.

   Synonyms: flump, thud

5. USinformaltransitiveTo 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!

   1896, Stephen Crane, chapter V, in Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC, page 43

   1. USinformaltransitiveball gamesTo pitch a ball in a way that it hits (a player).

      The Braves retaliated by plunking Harper in the next inning.

6. informalintransitiveTo make a brief, dull sound, such as the thud of something landing on a surface; to thud.
7. figurativelyinformalintransitiveFollowed by for: to choose, to opt; to plump.
8. informalintransitiveentertainmentTo 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.

   1978, Gore Vidal, chapter 3, in Kalki […], New York, N.Y.: Random House, →ISBN, page 153

9. informalintransitiveOften 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.
10. informalintransitiveobsoleteOf a raven: to croak.

present singular third person plunks · participle present plunking · participle past plunked · past plunked

1. ScotlandinformaltransitiveTo be absent from (school) without permission; to be a truant.
2. ScotlandinformalintransitiveTo 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.

   1979, Lavinia Derwent [pseudonym; Elizabeth Dodd], chapter I, in A Border Bairn, London: Hutchinson, →ISBN, page 12

plural Plunks

1. A surname.