plug

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a piece used to fill a hole : stopper
b
: an obtruding or obstructing mass of material resembling a stopper
2
: a flat compressed cake of tobacco
3
: a small core or segment removed from a larger object
4
: something inferior
especially : an inferior often aged or unsound horse
5
6
: an artificial fishing lure used primarily for casting and made with one or more sets of gang hooks
7
: any of various devices resembling or functioning like a plug: such as
a
: a male fitting for making an electrical connection to a live circuit by insertion in a receptacle (such as an outlet)
b
: a device for connecting electric wires to a jack
8
: a piece of favorable publicity or a favorable mention usually incorporated in general matter

plug

2 of 2

verb

plugged; plugging

transitive verb

1
a
: to stop, make tight, or secure by inserting a plug
b
: to remedy (a deficiency) as if by inserting a plug
trying to plug the gaps in their understanding
2
: to hit with a bullet : shoot
3
: to advertise or publicize insistently

intransitive verb

1
: to become plugged
usually used with up
2
: to work doggedly and persistently
plugged away at her homework
3
: to fire shots
plugger noun
Phrases
plug into
1
: to connect or become connected to by or as if by means of a plug
the city was plugged into the new highway system
2
: to load into as if by means of a plug
plugged the data into a computer

Examples of plug in a Sentence

Verb We were able to plug the hole with cement. One of the DJs on the local radio station has been plugging the band's new album. He plugged him right in the chest.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Cuong Tran, a passenger on Alaska Airlines flight 1242, was sitting in row 27, immediately behind the door plug that gave way minutes after the Boeing 737 Max 9 plane departed Portland International Airport on January 5, according to a new lawsuit. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2024 Passengers on previous flights told flight attendants of a whistling noise coming from the fuselage near the plug. Ryan Erik King / Jalopnik, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024 In a statement, X defended Musk’s decision to pull the plug on its agreement with Lemon. Oliver Darcy, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024 Patricia Gallagher Newberry After 57 years, Ault Park is pulling the plug on its annual Fourth of July show. The Enquirer, 13 Mar. 2024 The Federal Aviation Administration audited Boeing and a supplier, Spirit AeroSystems, after the door plug incident and found several noncompliance issues, according to a statement by the agency. Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 11 Mar. 2024 But Homendy says the NTSB is still unable to determine who opened and closed the door plug. Joel Rose, NPR, 6 Mar. 2024 The report found the door plug was opened to allow for repair work on misdrilled rivets on the fuselage while the plane was being assembled. Joel Rose, NPR, 6 Mar. 2024 However, a photo shared by Boeing employees after the door plug was removed shows three of four key bolts missing, with a fourth not visible. Lori Aratani, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024
Verb
Pennsylvania, Colorado, West Virginia and North Dakota all have laws requiring idle wells to be plugged within a year. Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 In January a panel that plugged a space left for an extra emergency door blew off a Boeing Max 9 jet in midair just minutes after an Alaska Airlines flight took off from Portland, leaving a gaping hole and forcing pilots to make an emergency landing. Claire Rush, Fortune, 16 Mar. 2024 Maryland Democrats last carried out wholesale tax increases under Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley to plug large budget holes partly caused by the Great Recession. Erin Cox, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 The Wi-Fi is so bad that many software engineers are forced to plug ethernet cables into their laptops to do any work. Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024 During the coronavirus pandemic, states received a huge infusion of federal money — money that’s now drying up, leaving Indiana, and many other states, facing tough choices about how to plug the gaping holes in their budgets. Ted Alcorn Kaiti Sullivan, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024 Upon plugging it in, nothing but static came from the amp connected to Gay’s Squier Stratocaster. Spin Contributor, SPIN, 28 Feb. 2024 The goal is to quickly see how much methane is escaping and from where, so that measures might be taken to plug all those leaks. Justine Calma, The Verge, 4 Mar. 2024 In Santa Clara County, elections officials are plugged into information-sharing networks with agencies around the country, and are tracking the potential for the new AI technology to affect elections here, said assistant registrar of voters Matt Moreles. Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plug.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Dutch, from Middle Dutch plugge; akin to Middle High German pfloc plug

First Known Use

Noun

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1630, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of plug was in 1606

Dictionary Entries Near plug

Cite this Entry

“Plug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plug. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

plug

1 of 2 noun
1
: a piece used to close or fill a hole
2
: a flat cake of tightly pressed tobacco leaves
3
: something of lesser quality
especially : a worn-out horse
4
5
: a lure with several hooks used in casting for fish
6
: a device usually on a cord used to make an electrical connection by putting it into another part (as a socket)
7
: a piece of favorable publicity

plug

2 of 2 verb
plugged; plugging
1
: to stop, make tight, or secure with or as if with a plug
plug the leak with tar
2
: to hit with a bullet : shoot
3
: to advertise or publicize over and over
4
: to become plugged
usually used with up
the drain was plugged up
5
: to keep steadily at work or in action
plugged away at my homework
plugger noun

Medical Definition

plug

1 of 2 noun
: a piece of material (as wood or alloy) used or serving to fill a hole: as
a
: the piece in a cock that can be turned to regulate the flow of liquid or gas
b
: an obstructing mass of material in a bodily vessel or opening (as of the cervix or a skin lesion)
c
: a filling for a hollow tooth

plug

2 of 2 transitive verb
plugged; plugging
1
: to stop, make tight, or secure (as an opening) by or as if by insertion of a plug : close an opening in
2
: to fill a cavity in (a tooth)

More from Merriam-Webster on plug

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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