Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - pluck

(plucks, plucking, plucked) 1. If you pluck a fruit, flower, or leaf, you take it between your fingers and pull it in order to remove it from its stalk where it is growing. (WRITTEN) I plucked a lemon from the tree... He plucked a stalk of dried fennel. VERB: V n from n, V n 2. If you pluck something from somewhere, you take it between your fingers and pull it sharply from where it is. (WRITTEN) He plucked the cigarette from his mouth and tossed it out into the street... VERB: V n from/out of/off n 3. If you pluck a guitar or other musical instrument, you pull the strings with your fingers and let them go, so that they make a sound. Nell was plucking a harp. VERB: V n 4. If you pluck a chicken or other dead bird, you pull its feathers out to prepare it for cooking. She looked relaxed as she plucked a chicken. VERB: V n 5. If a woman plucks her eyebrows, she pulls out some of the hairs using tweezers. You’ve plucked your eyebrows at last! VERB: V n 6. If someone unknown is given an important job or role and quickly becomes famous because of it, you can say that they have been plucked from obscurity or plucked from an unimportant position. (WRITTEN) She was plucked from the corps de ballet to take on Juliet... The agency plucked Naomi from obscurity and turned her into one of the world’s top models. VERB: usu passive, be V-ed from n, V n from n 7. If someone is rescued from a dangerous situation, you can say that they are plucked from it or are plucked to safety. A workman was plucked from the roof of a burning power station by a police helicopter... Ten fishermen were plucked to safety from life-rafts. VERB: usu passive, be V-ed from n, be V-ed to n 8. If you pluck up the courage to do something that you feel nervous about, you make an effort to be brave enough to do it. It took me about two hours to pluck up courage to call. PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR to-inf 9. If you say that someone plucks a figure, name, or date out of the air, you mean that they say it without thinking much about it before they speak. Is this just a figure she plucked out of the air? PHRASE: V inflects