plug
(plŭg)
[Dutch, from Middle Dutch plugge.]
noun
- An object, such as a cork or a wad of cloth, used to fill a hole tightly; a stopper.
- A dense mass of material that obstructs a passage.
- A usually cylindrical or conic piece cut from something larger, often as a sample.
- Electricity
- A fitting, commonly with two metal prongs for insertion in a fixed socket, used to connect an appliance to a power supply.
- A spark plug.
- A hydrant.
- A flat cake of pressed or twisted tobacco.
- A piece of chewing tobacco.
- Geology A mass of igneous rock filling the vent of a volcano.
- Informal A favorable public mention of a commercial product, business, or performance, especially when broadcast.
- Slang Something inferior, useless, or defective, especially an old, worn-out horse.
- Slang A gunshot or bullet: a plug in the back.
- A lure to which hooks are attached, used especially in angling.
verb: plugged, plug·ging, plugs.
transitive verb
- To fill (a hole) tightly with or as if with a plug; stop up.
- To insert (something) as a plug: plugged a cork in the bottle.
- Slang
- To hit with a bullet; shoot.
- To hit with the fist; punch.
- Informal To publicize (a product, for example) favorably, as by mentioning on a broadcast: authors who plug their latest books on TV talk shows.
intransitive verb
- To become stopped up or obstructed: a gutter that plugged up with leaves.
- Informal To work doggedly and persistently: “You may plug along fifty years before you get anywhere” (Saul Bellow)
phrasal verbs
- plug in
- To connect (an appliance) to an electrical outlet.
- To function by being connected to an electrical outlet: a power drill that plugs in.
- plug into
- To connect or be connected to in the manner of an electrical appliance: The local system is plugged into the national telephone network. This computer plugs into a data bank.
- Slang To cause to be closely attuned or responsive to: connoisseurs who are plugged into the current art scene.
derivatives
- pluǵger
- noun
