I. pluck 1 /plʌk/ BrE AmE verb
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: pluccian ]
1 . PULL SOMETHING [transitive] written to pull something quickly in order to remove it
pluck something from/off etc something
He plucked a couple of plastic bags from the roll.
Reaching up, she plucked an apple off the tree.
2 . pluck your eyebrows to make your ↑ eyebrow s the shape you want, by pulling out some of the hairs
3 . TAKE SOMEBODY/SOMETHING AWAY [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to take someone away from a place or situation that is dangerous or unpleasant in a quick and unexpected way
pluck somebody/something from/out of something
Some refugee children were plucked out of the country in a number of mercy missions.
She was plucked from obscurity (=made suddenly famous) by a Hollywood film producer.
Three survivors were plucked to safety after being in the sea for 7 hours.
4 . CHICKEN [transitive] to pull the feathers off a dead chicken or other bird before cooking it
5 . pluck up (the) courage (to do something) to force yourself to be brave and do something you are afraid of doing:
He finally plucked up enough courage to ask her out.
6 . MUSIC [intransitive and transitive] to pull the strings of a musical instrument
pluck at
Someone was plucking at the strings of an old guitar.
7 . pluck something out of the air ( also pluck something out of thin air ) to say or suggest a number, name etc that you have just thought of, without thinking about it carefully:
I’m plucking a figure out of the air here, but let’s say it’ll cost about $15,000.
pluck at something phrasal verb
to pull something quickly several times with your fingers, especially because you are nervous or to attract attention:
Kitty’s hands plucked at her black cotton skirt.
The little boy plucked at her sleeve.
II. pluck 2 BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
old-fashioned courage and determination:
It takes a lot of pluck to stand up to a bully.