Skip to the word

Added 1 October 2026

plunk

/plʌŋk/ noun

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about plunk at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

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 (heavy) blow or hit.
A dollar. A large sum of money.

adverb

With a brief, dull sound, such as the thud of something landing on a surface.
Directly, exactly, precisely.

interjection

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.

verb

To move (something) with a sudden push. Chiefly followed by down or out: to pay (money); to plank. 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.
Enrique plunked his money down on the counter with a sigh and bellied up to the bar.
To move (something) with a sudden push.
Chiefly followed by down or out: to pay (money); to plank.

Origin

Onomatopoeic; the noun is attested earlier than the verb. Noun etymology 1, noun sense 3 (“dollar; large sum of money”) may refer to the sound of a coin hitting a surface. Compare plonk, plink. As regards verb etymology 1, verb sense 1.4 (“(transitive) to drop, set, or throw (something, or oneself) abruptly and/or heavily”) and etymology 1, verb sense 2.4 (“(intransitive) to drop, land, or set abruptly and/or heavily”), compare French plonquer (Picardy), a variant of plonger (“to plunge”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word