📖 P — The English dictionary · page 38

plop — Everyday, meaning 1: The soft sound of something small dropping into water, like a pebble or a frog.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (verb) To fall or drop with this sound.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (verb, informal) To sit down or put something down heavily and carelessly: «She plopped down on the sofa.».↗ Example: The frog jumped into the pond with a plop.↗ · A big raindrop plopped onto my nose.↗ · He plopped his bag on the floor.↗ · Something went plop in the dark river.↗ · She plopped down on the beanbag.↗ · Two ice cubes plopped into my drink.↗ · We heard a plop as the water vole dived.↗

plosive — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: A speech sound made by shutting off the air and letting it burst out, like p or t.↗

plot — Everyday, meaning 1: The main events of a story, film or play.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A secret plan, often to do something wrong.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A small piece of land, such as for a garden or a house.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (verb, maths) To mark points on a graph or map.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: (verb) To plan something secretly.↗ Example: The plot of the book is very exciting.↗ · Plot the point (3, 4) on the grid.↗ · The villains made a plot to steal the crown.↗ · We grow carrots on our plot.↗ · Plot your results on a bar chart.↗ · He's lost the plot!↗ (slang: gone a bit crazy)↗ · The children plotted a surprise party.↗ · The evil one's plot was successful.↗ · Now therefore take and cast him into the plot of ground, according to the word of the LORD.'↗ (Prophets 2KI.9.26, JPS 1917)↗ · But he stood in the midst of the plot, and defended it, and slew the Philistines; and the LORD wrought a great victory.↗ (Prophets 2SA.23.12, JPS 1917)↗ · And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a plot of ground full of lentils; and the people fled from the Philistines.↗ (Prophets 2SA.23.11, JPS 1917)↗

plotted — Everyday, meaning 1: (maths, maps) Marked points on a graph, grid or map.↗ e.g. "We plotted the points."↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Secretly planned something, usually bad.↗ e.g. "They plotted to steal the crown."↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Planned the story of a book or film.↗ e.g. "a well-plotted mystery".↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (plotted plant) Planted in a pot (rare; usually "potted").↗ Example: We plotted the points (1, 2) and (3, 4) on the grid.↗ · The temperatures were plotted on a line graph.↗ · The pirates plotted to take the ship.↗ · Guy Fawkes plotted to blow up Parliament.↗ · The captain plotted a course on the map.↗ · The mystery is cleverly plotted.↗ · She plotted her revenge on her brother for weeks.↗ · She now plotted continually how she might destroy her good fortune.↗

plough — Everyday, meaning 1: A big farm tool, pulled by a tractor or animals, that turns over and breaks up the soil to get it ready for planting.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (verb) To turn over soil with a plough.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (verb) To move or go forward with force: «the car ploughed into the fence».↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (verb) To keep going with something hard or boring: «plough through homework».↗ Everyday, meaning 5: The Plough: a group of seven bright stars (UK name for the Big Dipper).↗ Example: The farmer ploughed the field before planting wheat.↗ · Long ago, horses pulled the plough.↗ · A snowplough cleared the road.↗ · I ploughed through my maths homework.↗ · The car skidded and ploughed into a hedge.↗ · We found the Plough in the night sky.↗ · Three brothers are ploughing over there.↗

ploughman — Everyday, meaning 1: A ploughman is a farm worker who ploughs fields, pulling the plough with oxen or horses.↗ Example: A ploughman yoked his ox and ass together.↗ · The ploughman led his oxen away to drink.↗ · The ploughman was up before dawn to work the fields.↗

ploughshare — Everyday, meaning 1: The sharp metal blade of a plough that cuts into the soil.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (Bible) «They shall beat their swords into ploughshares» (Isaiah and Micah) is a picture of peace: weapons are made into farm tools.↗ Example: «They shall beat their swords into ploughshares.»↗ · The farmer sharpened the ploughshare before spring.↗ · A statue outside the United Nations shows a man beating a sword into a ploughshare.↗ · The ploughshare cut deep into the soil.↗ · The prophets dreamed of a time when weapons become ploughshares.↗ · Old ploughshares were made of iron.↗ · They never knew when they were safe from him, as he could change himself into a man, woman or child, a stick, a goat, a ploughshare.↗

plover — Everyday, meaning 1: A plover is a bird with a short beak, that lives on open land and often flies in flocks.↗ Example: The plovers fly in a curved line like a snake.↗ · We saw a flock of plovers on the marsh.↗ · The plovers will start their flight when the weather turns.↗

plow — Everyday, meaning 1: A plow is a farm tool pulled by animals to turn over the soil; it is the American spelling of «plough».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To plow is to turn over soil with a plow.↗ Example: Cincinnatus left his plow standing where it was.↗ · Keep the bulls and the plow buffaloes by themselves.↗ · The farmer plows the field before the rain.↗ · Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.↗ (Torah DEU.22.10, JPS 1917)↗ · The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows.↗ (Writings PSA.129.3, JPS 1917)↗ · According as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow mischief, reap the same.↗ (Writings JOB.4.8, JPS 1917)↗ · Is the plowman never done with plowing to sow, with the opening and harrowing of his ground?↗ (Prophets ISA.28.24, JPS 1917)↗

plowed — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: Turned over soil with a plow.↗ Example: And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which may neither be plowed nor sown, and shall break the heifer's neck there in the valley.↗ (Torah DEU.21.4, JPS 1917)↗

plower — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: A person who plows, turning soil with a plow.↗ Example: The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows.↗ (Writings PSA.129.3, JPS 1917)↗

plowing — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: Turning over the soil with a plow.↗ Example: Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest; in plowing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.↗ (Torah EXO.34.21, JPS 1917)↗ · For these two years hath the famine been in the land; and there are yet five years, in which there shall be neither plowing nor harvest.↗ (Torah GEN.45.6, JPS 1917)↗

plowman — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: A person who plows a field, a farmer.↗ Example: Is the plowman never done with plowing to sow, with the opening and harrowing of his ground?↗ (Prophets ISA.28.24, JPS 1917)↗ · Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.↗ (Prophets AMO.9.13, JPS 1917)↗

plowshare — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: The blade of a plow that cuts the soil.↗ Example: Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears; let the weak say: 'I am strong.'↗ (Prophets JOL.4.10, JPS 1917)↗ · but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his plowshare, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock.↗ (Prophets 1SA.13.20, JPS 1917)↗

ploy — Everyday, meaning 1: A clever trick or plan used to get an advantage or to make someone do something.↗ Example: The "free" toy was a ploy to get us to buy more cereal.↗ · Pretending to be ill was a ploy to miss the test.↗ · The team used a clever ploy to win the ball.↗ · The fox's ploy was to flatter the crow.↗ · Adverts use ploys to make you want things.↗ · His ploy didn't work; Mum saw through it.↗

pluck — Everyday, meaning 1: To pluck something is to pull it off or out quickly, such as a flower, a fruit or a hair.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To pluck a bird is to pull its feathers off before cooking.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To pluck the strings of a guitar or harp is to pull and let go with your fingers to make a note.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (noun) Pluck is courage and spirit in a difficult situation.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: To pluck up courage is to make yourself brave enough to do something.↗ Example: She plucked an apple from the tree.↗ · He finally plucked up the courage to ask a question.↗ · Pluck the strings gently on your ukulele.↗ · The lifeboat crew plucked the sailors from the stormy sea.↗ · The farmer plucked the chicken for dinner.↗ · The little girl showed real pluck when she spoke on stage.↗ · He seemed to pluck the number out of thin air.↗ · Mum plucks her eyebrows with tweezers.↗ · Come, pluck up your courage and follow me.”↗ · When thou comest into thy neighbour's standing corn, then thou mayest pluck ears with thy hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour's standing corn.↗ (Torah DEU.23.25, JPS 1917)↗ · They pluck salt-wort with wormwood; and the roots of the broom are their food.↗ (Writings JOB.30.4, JPS 1917)↗ · There are that pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor; (Writings JOB.24.9, JPS 1917)↗ · Thou didst pluck up a vine out of Egypt; Thou didst drive out the nations, and didst plant it.↗ (Writings PSA.80.9, JPS 1917)↗

plucked — Everyday, meaning 1: Plucked means pulled off or picked with the fingers, as in plucked flowers or fruit.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Plucked means having had the feathers pulled out, as in a plucked chicken.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Plucked means played by pulling and letting go of the strings, as on a guitar or harp.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Plucked can mean pulled quickly out of somewhere, as in «plucked from the sea» by a rescuer.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: If someone plucked up courage, they made themselves brave.↗ Example: She plucked an apple from the tree.↗ · Finally, Tom plucked up the courage to ask for help.↗ · The harpist plucked the strings gently.↗ · The farmer plucked the chicken before cooking it.↗ · A lifeboat crew plucked the fisherman from the waves.↗ · He plucked a number out of thin air as a guess.↗ · The guitar's plucked notes echoed round the hall.↗ · They had plucked out all their feathers.↗ · And the dove came in to him at eventide; and lo in her mouth an olive-leaf freshly plucked; so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.↗ (Torah GEN.8.11, JPS 1917)↗ · Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them?↗ (Writings JOB.4.21, JPS 1917)↗ · And I broke the jaws of the unrighteous, and plucked the prey out of his teeth.↗ (Writings JOB.29.17, JPS 1917)↗ · But the wicked shall be cut off from the land, and the faithless shall be plucked up out of it.↗ (Writings PRO.2.22, JPS 1917)↗

plug — Everyday, meaning 1: A plug is the part on the end of an electric wire that you push into a socket to get power.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A plug is a round piece of rubber or plastic that blocks the hole in a bath or sink.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To plug a hole is to block it.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To plug something in is to connect it to the electricity supply.↗ Example: Plug in the lamp, please.↗ · Never touch a plug with wet hands.↗ · Pull out the plug to empty the bath.↗ · Unplug the toaster before cleaning it.↗ · Hold the plug, not the wire, to pull it out.↗ · We plugged the hole in the boat with a cloth.↗ · Wear earplugs at the fireworks.↗ · The TV is not working because it's not plugged in.↗ · Koane!” cried she, “come and help me to plug up the hole.↗

plugged — Everyday, meaning 1: Plugged in means connected to an electricity socket with a plug so it can work.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Plugged (up) means blocked or filled so that nothing can pass through, like a plugged hole or a stuffy nose.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Plugged can mean a hole was filled with something to stop a leak.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Plugged can mean talked about to advertise, like a book plugged on TV.↗ Example: Is the charger plugged in?↗ · The kettle won't work because it isn't plugged in.↗ · The sink is plugged with hair.↗ · My nose is all plugged up with a cold.↗ · Dad plugged the leak with tape.↗ · Unplug the toaster before you clean it.↗ · She plugged her headphones into the tablet.↗ · The author plugged her new book on the radio.↗

plughole — Everyday, meaning 1: A plughole is the hole at the bottom of a bath or sink where the water drains away.↗ Example: The water swirled down the plughole.↗ · Hair has blocked the plughole again.↗ · Put the plug in the plughole before you fill the sink.↗ · My ring nearly fell down the plughole!↗ · Don't pour cooking fat down the plughole.↗ · All our hard work went down the plughole.↗

plum — Everyday, meaning 1: A plum is a small round soft fruit with a smooth purple, red or yellow skin and a stone inside.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Plum is a dark red-purple colour.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A plum job is a very good one.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: A plum tree is a tree that grows plums.↗ Example: I add one plum on the table.↗ · I eat three plums from the table.↗ · There are 15 plums in a bowl.↗ · This plum is sweet and juicy.↗ · Be careful: a plum has a hard stone inside.↗ · Grandma makes plum jam in summer.↗ · A dried plum is called a prune.↗ · She wore a plum-coloured scarf.↗ · Hit's a blessin' de w'ite sow don't shake de plum-tree.↗