Word: plunk Part of Speech: verb Etymology: 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”). Pronunciation: /plʌŋk/ 1. To move (something) with a sudden push. Labels: informal, transitive Example: 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. 2. Chiefly followed by down or out: to pay (money); to plank. Labels: figuratively, informal, transitive Example: Just let them tell him a thing is pretty and fashionable, and Matthew plunks his money down for it. 3. 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. Labels: informal, transitive 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. Example: 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. 4. Often 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. Labels: also, informal, reflexive, transitive Example: Enrique plunked his money down on the counter with a sigh and bellied up to the bar. Example: Exhausted, she plunked herself on the sofa. 5. To hit or injure (someone or something); also, to shoot (someone or something) with a firearm. Labels: US, informal, transitive Example: Say, I jes' jumped d' bar, an' d' way I plunked [hit] dat bloke was outa sight. See? Dat's right! In d' jaw! 6. To hit or injure (someone or something); also, to shoot (someone or something) with a firearm. Labels: US, informal, transitive Example: The Braves retaliated by plunking Harper in the next inning. 7. To make a brief, dull sound, such as the thud of something landing on a surface; to thud. Labels: informal, intransitive 8. Followed by for: to choose, to opt; to plump. Labels: figuratively, informal, intransitive 9. To 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. Labels: informal, intransitive Example: [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. 10. Often 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. Labels: informal, intransitive 11. Of a raven: to croak. Labels: informal, intransitive, obsolete