plug

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)

CIDE DICTIONARY

plug, n. [Akin to D. plug, G. pflock, Dan. plök, plug, Sw. plugg; cf. W. ploc.].

•  Any piece of wood, metal, or other substance used to stop or fill a hole; a stopple.  [1913 Webster]
•  A flat oblong cake of pressed tobacco.  [1913 Webster]
•  A high, tapering silk hat.  [1913 Webster]
•  A worthless horse.  [1913 Webster]
•  A block of wood let into a wall, to afford a hold for nails.  [1913 Webster]

Breech plug (Gun.), in breech-loading guns, the metal plug or cylinder which closes the aperture in the breech, through which the gun is loaded. -- Fire plug, a street hydrant to which hose may be attached. [U. S.] -- Hawse plug (Naut.), a plug to stop a hawse hole. -- Plug and feather. (Stone Working) See Feather, n., 7. -- Plug centerbit, a centerbit ending in a small cylinder instead of a point, so as to follow and enlarge a hole previously made, or to form a counterbore around it. -- Plug rod (Steam Eng.) , a rod attached to the beam for working the valves, as in the Cornish engine. -- Plug valve (Mech.), a tapering valve, which turns in a case like the plug of a faucet.

plug, v. t. 

 To stop with a plug; to make tight by stopping a hole.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

plug, n. & v.
--n.
1 a piece of solid material fitting tightly into a hole, used to fill a gap or cavity or act as a wedge or stopper.
2 a a device of metal pins in an insulated casing fitting into holes in a socket for making an electrical connection, esp. between an appliance and the mains. b colloq. an electric socket.
3 = sparking-plug (see SPARK(1)).
4 colloq. a piece of (often free) publicity for an idea, product, etc.
5 a mass of solidified lava filling the neck of a volcano.
6 a cake or stick of tobacco; a piece of this for chewing.
7 = fire-plug.
--v. (plugged, plugging)
1 tr. (often foll. by up) stop (a hole etc.) with a plug.
2 tr. sl. shoot or hit (a person etc.).
3 tr. colloq. seek to popularize (an idea, product, etc.) by constant recommendation.
4 intr. colloq. (often foll. by at) work steadily away (at).

Idiom

plug in connect electrically by inserting a plug in a socket. plug-in adj. able to be connected by means of a plug. plug-ugly US sl. n. (pl. -ies) a thug or ruffian.
--adj. villainous-looking.

Derivative

plugger n.

Etymology

MDu. & MLG plugge, of unkn. orig.

THESAURUS

plug

PR, acknowledgment, advert, advertise, advertisement, advocate, appreciation, back, bait, balker, balky horse, ballyhoo, bar, bark, bill, bind, birdlime, block, block up, blockade, blurb, bola, boost, bright light, build up, buildup, bulletin, bung, caulk, cavendish, celebrity, charge, check valve, chew, chink, choke, choke off, choke up, chug on, circularize, clog, clog up, close, close off, close up, cobweb, cock, commend, commendation, commercial, commercial announcement, common knowledge, congest, constipate, cork, cover, crock, crowbait, cry, cry up, currency, dam, dam up, daylight, detonate, dig, discharge, dog, dragnet, drop, drudge, eclat, eject, establish, exposure, fag, fame, famousness, faucet, fell, fill, fill up, fire, fire hydrant, fire off, fireplug, fishhook, fly, foul, garron, gill net, give a write-up, give publicity, glare, goat, good word, grind, ground bait, grub, gun, gun for, hack, hammer, hammer away, hit, honorable mention, hook, hoopla, hue and cry, hydrant, hype, jade, jam, jig, jog on, jughead, keep doggedly at, lariat, lasso, let fly, let off, lid, lime, limelight, load, lumber, lure, maximum dissemination, mention, meshes, moil, nag, net, noose, notoriety, obstipate, obstruct, occlude, pack, peg, peg away, pelt, pepper, pick off, pigtail, pin, pistol, placard, plod, plod along, plug along, plug at, plug away, plug up, post, post bills, post up, pot, potshoot, potshot, pound away, pound net, press notice, press-agent, prime, promote, promotion, public eye, public knowledge, public relations, public report, publicity, publicity story, publicize, publicness, puff, puffing, purse seine, push, quid, reclame, recognition, recommend, recommendation, report, riddle, roarer, rogue, rosinante, rub on, scalawag, schlep, sea cock, seal off, seal up, seine, sell, shoot, shoot at, shoot down, slog, slog away, snare, sniggle, snipe, speak highly of, speak warmly of, speak well of, spiel, spigot, spike, spile, spill, spinner, spot, spot announcement, spotlight, springe, squid, stanch, stay, stench, stiff, stop, stop up, stopgap, stopper, stopple, strike, stuff, stuff up, stump, support, take a potshot, tap, toil, toils, torpedo, tout, tramp, travail, trawl, trudge, twist, valve, wad, wade through, water plug, whistler, wobbler, work away, write up, write-up

ROGET THESAURUS

plug

Deterioration

N deterioration, debasement, wane, ebb, recession, retrogradation, decrease, degeneracy, degeneration, degenerateness, degradation, depravation, depravement, devolution, depravity, demoralization, retrogression, masochism, impairment, inquination, injury, damage, loss, detriment, delaceration, outrage, havoc, inroad, ravage, scath, perversion, prostitution, vitiation, discoloration, oxidation, pollution, defoedation, poisoning, venenation, leaven, contamination, canker, corruption, adulteration, alloy, decline, declension, declination, decadence, decadency, falling off, caducity, decrepitude, decay, dilapidation, ravages of time, wear and tear, corrosion, erosion, moldiness, rottenness, moth and rust, dry rot, blight, marasmus, atrophy, collapse, disorganization, delabrement (destruction), aphid, Aphis, plant louse, puceron, vinefretter, vinegrub, wreck, mere wreck, honeycomb, magni nominis umbra, jade, plug, rackabones, skate, tackey, tacky, have seen better days, deteriorate, degenerate, fall off, wane, ebb, retrograde, decline, droop, go down, go downhill, go from bad to worse, go farther and fare worse, jump out of the frying pan into the fire, run to seed, go to seed, run to waste swale, sweal, lapse, be the worse for, sphacelate: break, break down, spring a leak, crack, start, shrivel, fade, go off, wither, molder, rot, rankle, decay, go bad, go to decay, fall into decay, fall into the sear and yellow leaf, rust, crumble, shake, totter, totter to its fall, perish, die, deteriorate, weaken, put back, set back, taint, infect, contaminate, poison, empoison, envenom, canker, corrupt, exulcerate, pollute, vitiate, inquinate, debase, embase, denaturalize, denature, leaven, deflower, debauch, defile, deprave, degrade, ulcerate, stain, discolor, alloy, adulterate, sophisticate, tamper with, prejudice, pervert, prostitute, demoralize, brutalize, render vicious, embitter, acerbate, exacerbate, aggravate, injure, impair, labefy, damage, harm, hurt, shend, scath, scathe, spoil, mar, despoil, dilapidate, waste, overrun, ravage, pillage, wound, stab, pierce, maim, lame, surbate, cripple, hough, hamstring, hit between wind and water, scotch, mangle, mutilate, disfigure, blemish, deface, warp, blight, rot, corrode, erode, wear away, wear out, gnaw, gnaw at the root of, sap, mine, undermine, shake, sap the foundations of, break up, disorganize, dismantle, dismast, destroy, damnify, do one's worst, knock down, deal a blow to, play havoc with, play sad havoc with, play the mischief with, play the deuce with, play the very devil with, play havoc among, play sad havoc among, play the mischief among, play the deuce among, play the very devil among, decimate, Adj, unimproved &c (improve), deteriorated, altered, altered for the worse, injured, sprung, withering, spoiling, on the wane, on the decline, tabid, degenerate, marescent, worse, the worse for, all the worse for, out of repair, out of tune, imperfect, the worse for wear, battered, weathered, weather-beaten, stale, passe, shaken, dilapidated, frayed, faded, wilted, shabby, secondhand, threadbare, worn, worn to a thread, worn to a shadow, worn to the stump, worn to rags, reduced, reduced to a skeleton, far gone, tacky, decayed, moth-eaten, worm-eaten, mildewed, rusty, moldy, spotted, seedy, time-worn, moss-grown, discolored, effete, wasted, crumbling, moldering, rotten, cankered, blighted, tainted, depraved, decrepid, decrepit, broke, busted, broken, out of commission, hors de combat, out of action, broken down, done, done for, done up, worn out, used up, finished, beyond saving, fit for the dust hole, fit for the wastepaper basket, past work, at a low ebb, in a bad way, on one's last legs, undermined, deciduous, nodding to its fall, tottering, past cure, fatigued, retrograde, deleterious, out of the frying pan into the fire, agrescit medendo, what a falling off was there!.

Closure

VB close, occlude, plug, block up, stop up, fill up, bung up, cork up, button up, stuff up, shut up, dam up, blockade, obstruct, bar, bolt, stop, seal, plumb, choke, throttle, ram down, dam, cram, trap, clinch, put to the door, shut the door.

Stopper

N stopper, stopple, plug, cork, bung, spike, spill, stopcock, tap, rammer, ram, ramrod, piston, stop-gap, wadding, stuffing, padding, stopping, dossil, pledget, tompion, tourniquet, cover, valve, vent peg, spigot, slide valve, janitor, doorkeeper, porter, warder, beadle, cerberus, ostiary.

Impulse

N impulse, sudden thought, impromptu, improvisation, inspiration, flash, spurt, improvisatore, creature of impulse, extemporaneous, impulsive, indeliberate, snap, improvised, improvisate, improvisatory, unpremeditated, unmeditated, improvise, unprompted, unguided, natural, unguarded, spontaneous, instinctive, extempore, extemporaneously, offhand, impromptu, a limproviste, improviso, on the spur of the moment, on the spur of the occasion, impulse, impulsion, impetus, momentum, push, pulsion, thrust, shove, jog, jolt, brunt, booming, boost, throw, explosion, propulsion, percussion, concussion, collision, occursion, clash, encounter, cannon, carambole, appulse, shock, crash, bump, impact, elan, charge, beating, blow, dint, stroke, knock, tap, rap, slap, smack, pat, dab, fillip, slam, bang, hit, whack, thwack, cuff, squash, dowse, swap, whap, punch, thump, pelt, kick, punce, calcitration, ruade, arietation, cut, thrust, lunge, yerk, carom, carrom, clip, jab, plug, sidewinder, sidewipe, sideswipe, hammer, sledge hammer, mall, maul, mallet, flail, ram, rammer, battering ram, monkey, pile-driving engine, punch, bat, cant hook, cudgel, ax, dynamics, seismometer, accelerometer, earthquake detector, impelling, impulsive, impellent, booming, dynamic, dynamical, impelled, a hit, a very palpable hit.

VB flash on the mind, say what comes uppermost, improvise, extemporize, give an impetus, impel, push, start, give a start to, set going, drive, urge, boom, thrust, prod, foin, cant, elbow, shoulder, jostle, justle, hustle, hurtle, shove, jog, jolt, encounter, run against, bump against, butt against, knock one's head against, run one's head against, impinge, boost, bunt, carom, clip y, fan, fan out, jab, plug, strike, knock, hit, tap, rap, slap, flap, dab, pat, thump, beat, blow, bang, slam, dash, punch, thwack, whack, hit hard, strike hard, swap, batter, dowse, baste, pelt, patter, buffet, belabor, fetch one a blow, poke at, pink, lunge, yerk, kick, calcitrate, butt, strike at, whip, come into a collision, enter into collision, collide, sideswipe, foul, fall foul of, run foul of, telescope, throw.