plug

PLUG/plʌɡ/

25 meanings of plug

1
nouncountable
A part at the end of an electric cord that fits into a wall outlet.
Like a key that fits into a lock to connect the cord to the power.
Push the plug into the outlet to turn on the lamp.
Dad pulled the plug out before he cleaned the toaster.
Similarconnector
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2
nouncountable
A small piece of wood, metal, or other material that fills a hole.
Like a cork in a bottle.
She pulled the plug out of the bathtub and let the water drain.
He pushed a rubber plug into the hole to stop the leak.
Similarstopper, bung, dowel
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3
verbtransitive
To close or fill a hole so that nothing can get through.
We can plug the hole with some old cloth.
He plugged the leak in the pipe with tape.
Similarstop
Oppositeunplug, unblock, open
4
verbtransitive
To talk about a product or thing in a good way so people will buy or try it.
The singer went on TV to plug her new album.
He plugs his friend's restaurant every time someone asks where to eat.
Similarpromote, advertise, publicize, push, hype
5
nounslangcountable
A short mention of a product, book, or movie that helps sell it.
Like a small ad hidden inside a normal conversation.
The actor gave a quick plug for his new movie during the interview.
Her video included a plug for the shoes she was wearing.
Similaradvertisement, ad, promotion, mention, endorsement
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6
nouncountable
A place on the wall where you put in an electric cord to get power.
Is there a plug near the bed for my phone charger?
The kitchen has a plug next to the counter for the mixer.
Similarsocket, outlet, receptacle
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7
nouncountable
A round mass of hard rock that formed when melted rock cooled inside a volcano's opening.
Like a stone cork stuck in the neck of a volcano.
The steep hill is really a plug of old lava that hardened inside a volcano.
When the soft outside of the volcano wore away, only the hard plug was left.
Similarneck
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8
nounslangcountable
A person you can buy illegal drugs from.
He texted his plug to ask about prices.
Everyone in the neighborhood knew who the local plug was.
Similardealer, supplier, connect, pusher
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9
verbslangtransitive
To shoot a person with a bullet from a gun.
The robber said he would plug anyone who moved.
In the old western movie, the sheriff plugged the bank robber before he could shoot.
Similarpop, cap
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10
nouncountable
A small hard object with hooks that you pull through water to catch fish.
Like a fake little fish that tricks real fish into biting.
He tied a bright plug to his line and cast it toward the rocks.
Fish often hit the plug as soon as it moves across the water.
Similarcrankbait
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11
nounabbreviationellipsis
Short for fireplug. It means a fire hydrant: the water post that firefighters connect hoses to.
Don't park in front of the plug, or the fire trucks can't reach it.
Firefighters hooked their hose to the plug on the corner.
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12
nouncountable
A short, round piece of jewelry worn in a stretched hole in the ear.
She wears a black plug in each ear.
His new plug was made of wood and a little bigger than the old one.
Similargauge
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13
verbslangtransitive
To have sex with someone.
His roommate teased him about trying to plug every girl he met.
She admitted she'd plugged him on the first date.
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14
verbcolloquialintransitive
To keep working hard at something without giving up.
Like slowly digging a hole, one small scoop at a time.
If the task is hard, just plug away and keep trying.
She plugged on through the long afternoon without a break.
Similarslog, toil, labor, persevere, persist
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15
nouncountable
A young plant grown in a small tray cell, ready to be moved into the ground.
Like a baby plant in its own tiny pot, ready to move.
We bought a tray of tomato plugs at the garden center.
Each plug slides easily out of its tray cell.
Similarseedling, plantlet
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16
nounUScountable
A flat, oblong block of tobacco that has been pressed together hard.
Like a thick bar of soap, but made of packed tobacco.
Grandpa kept a plug of tobacco in his shirt pocket.
He cut a small piece from the plug with his knife.
Similarcake
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17
nouncountable
A small block of wood set into a wall so that nails can grip and hold.
Like putting a soft block of wood in a wall so a nail has something to bite into.
The builder set a plug into the brick wall for the shelf.
Nails went straight into the wooden plug behind the plaster.
Similarnog, block
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18
nouncountable
A side pipe branching off a main to feed water into a hose.
Like a small side pipe that lets you fill a hose from a big water line.
Firefighters connected their hose to the plug in the street.
Water poured through the plug into the long canvas hose.
Similarhydrant
19
nouncountable
A standard part of a plane's body that can be added or removed to change its length.
Like adding an extra section to a toy train to make it longer.
Engineers added a plug to make the plane longer.
The new model uses a fuselage plug to fit in extra seats.
Similarsection, segment
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20
verbslangtransitive
To take a drug by inserting it into the body through the rectum.
Some users plug the drug instead of swallowing it.
He plugged the powder for a faster effect.
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21
noundatedcountable
An old, worn-out thing that is no longer any use.
Like a broken toy that you cannot fix and just throw away.
That old radio is a plug and never worked right.
He sold me a plug that fell apart in a week.
Similardud, lemon, reject
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22
noundatedcountable
A book that no one buys and that fails to sell.
Like a toy in a store that nobody ever wants to buy.
His first novel was a plug that sold only ten copies.
Many New York booksellers promoted the impression that Quaritch had sent only 'plugs' (i.e. unsaleable books).
1997, The Book CollectorHere, plugs means books that do not sell, left on the shelves.
Similarflop, dud, failure
Oppositebestseller, hit, success
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23
nounslangUScountable
A weak, worn-out horse that is not worth much.
Like an old bike with flat tires that can barely move.
The old plug could barely pull the cart.
Nobody wanted to ride that tired plug.
Similarnag, hack, jade
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24
nounslangUScountable
A tall silk top hat that gets narrower toward the top.
Like the tall black hat a magician wears.
He wore a shiny plug to the wedding.
The gentleman tipped his plug as he passed.
Similartopper, stovepipe
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25
nouncountable
A bit of living material inside some algae that blocks the tiny holes in their cells.
Like a small cork that fills a hole and stops anything getting through.
The tiny plug seals the hole in the algae cell.
Each plug blocks a pore so material cannot pass through.

Practice

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Origin

It comes from the Dutch word 'plug', meaning a peg or plug. Where it came from before that is not known for sure.