plug

plug — noun

1. the part on the end of an electrical lead that you push into a wall socket to gi

1.nounB1
Definition

the part on the end of an electrical lead that you push into a wall socket to give a machine power.

Example

Mina pulled the plug from the wall before cleaning the toaster.

pull the plug from the wall

The baby monitor has a white plug with three metal pins.

three-pin plug

Common collocations
  • three-pin plug
  • plug adaptor
  • pull out the plug
Synonyms
  • power plug

    clearer when the connection is specifically for electricity

  • mains plug

    common in British English for a household electrical plug

  • connector

    broader word that can also include non-electrical joining parts

Grammar Patterns

plug for [appliance]

three-pin plug

pull out the plug

Usage Note

Usually the removable piece attached to an appliance or charger lead. Distinguish from sense 2, which names the wall fitting it goes into.

Common Mistakes

Put the plug in the electricity.
Put the plug into the wall socket.
the plug goes into a socket, not into 'electricity'.

2. the engine part that makes a spark to light the fuel in a motor.

2.noun
Definition

the engine part that makes a spark to light the fuel in a motor.

Example

The mechanic changed a dirty plug before the race began.

plug = spark plug

Oil on the plug made the old motor hard to start.

Common collocations
  • dirty plug
  • replace the plug
  • spare plug
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

change a plug

dirty plug

spare plug

Usage Note

This short form works when the engine context is already obvious. In careful writing, 'spark plug' is usually clearer.

Common Mistakes

The car needs a new electric plug.
The car needs a new spark plug.
for engines, the full term is usually 'spark plug'.

3. a small object pushed into an opening to block it.

3.nounB1
Definition

a small object pushed into an opening to block it.

Example

Nora pressed a rubber plug into the hole in the bucket.

rubber plug

A wooden plug stopped rain from dripping through the boat floor.

wooden plug

Common collocations
  • rubber plug
  • wooden plug
  • cork plug
Synonyms
  • stopper

    general everyday word for something that closes an opening

  • cork

    used when the closing piece is made of cork, especially in bottles

  • bung

    more specialized, especially for barrels or large containers

Grammar Patterns

plug a hole

rubber plug

wooden plug

Usage Note

Often made of rubber, wood, cork, or plastic, and used to close a hole in a container or surface. Distinguish from sense 6, which is specifically the stopper for a sink or bath.

Common Mistakes

He closed the bucket with a cover plug.
He closed the hole with a plug.
a plug blocks an opening, not the whole top of a container.

4. the stopper used to keep water in a bath or a sink.

4.nounB1
Definition

the stopper used to keep water in a bath or a sink.

Example

Ella pulled the plug, and the bath water rushed away.

pull the plug

Soap was stuck under the plug in the kitchen sink.

sink plug

Common collocations
  • pull the plug
  • bath plug
  • sink plug
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

pull the plug

bath plug

sink plug

Usage Note

Most often used with sinks and baths, especially with verbs like 'pull', 'remove', and 'put back'. Distinguish from sense 5, which can block many different kinds of openings.

Common Mistakes

Open the plug so the water can go.
Pull the plug so the water can go out.
English usually uses 'pull' or 'remove' with this object.

5. a short public mention meant to make people notice and like a product, event, or

5.noun
Definition

a short public mention meant to make people notice and like a product, event, or person.

Example

The host gave our cafe a plug on the morning radio show.

give something a plug

One newspaper plug filled the bakery with new customers.

Common collocations
  • give something a plug
  • get a plug on the radio
  • a free plug
  • slip in a plug
Synonyms
  • promotion

    broader word for trying to increase interest or sales

  • publicity

    broader and more neutral; it does not always mean one short mention

  • endorsement

    stronger because it suggests clear support or approval

  • mention

    neutral basic word; it does not itself imply promotion

Antonyms
  • criticism

    negative public comments that hurt interest instead of helping it

Grammar Patterns

give something a plug

get a plug on [radio/show]

slip in a plug for [thing]

Usage Note

Often follows verbs such as 'give', 'get', or 'slip in'. It usually means a brief bit of promotion inside a show, article, or conversation, not a full advertisement campaign.

Common Mistakes

The singer gave the new album an advertisement on stage.
The singer gave the new album a plug on stage.
a plug is a short promotional mention, not a full advertisement.

6. a wall socket for electricity, especially in British English.

6.noun
Definition

a wall socket for electricity, especially in British English.

Example

There is a plug beside the sofa, so charge your phone there.

plug = wall socket in British English

The hair dryer would not reach the plug near the mirror.

Common collocations
  • bedside plug
  • loose plug
  • plug near the mirror
Synonyms
  • socket

    the most common everyday word for this meaning

  • outlet

    more common in American English

  • wall socket

    fuller term that avoids ambiguity with sense 1

Grammar Patterns

plug by the bed

plug near the mirror

bedside plug

Usage Note

British English sometimes shortens 'plug socket' to 'plug'. Distinguish from sense 1, the piece you insert, and sense 7, which is a wall insert for screws.

Common Mistakes

The charger is near a plug, but I cannot put it in.
The charger is near a plug, but I cannot put the plug in.
this sense names the socket itself, so the thing you insert must still be stated.

7. the metal-ended piece on a cable that fits into another device so the cable can

7.noun
Definition

the metal-ended piece on a cable that fits into another device so the cable can carry power or sound.

Example

Push the guitar plug firmly into the speaker before the show.

plug into another device

One plug on the game cable was bent after the move.

plug on a cable

Common collocations
  • guitar plug
  • plug on the cable
  • clean the plug
Synonyms
  • connector

    general word for a joining part on a cable

  • jack plug

    used especially for audio leads

  • lead end

    descriptive phrase rather than a fixed technical term

Grammar Patterns

plug into the speaker

plug on a cable

clean the plug

Usage Note

Often used for audio, video, or charging leads joining one device to another, not mainly for the wall power connection in sense 1.

Common Mistakes

The cable has a socket at the end.
The cable has a plug at the end.
the end sticking out from the wire is the plug; the hole it goes into is the socket.

8. a short plastic or wooden sleeve set in a drilled wall hole to grip a screw.

8.noun
Definition

a short plastic or wooden sleeve set in a drilled wall hole to grip a screw.

Example

Dad tapped a plug into the wall before fixing the shelf.

plug into the wall before a screw

The worker drilled two holes and pushed plugs into the brick.

Common collocations
  • wall plug
  • plastic plug
  • drill a hole for a plug
  • use a screw and plug
Synonyms
  • wall anchor

    the clearest general term for this hardware part

  • anchor

    shorter hardware term; the wall context is often understood

  • dowel

    used in some varieties for a similar piece fixed in a wall

Grammar Patterns

put a plug into the wall

a screw and plug

drill a hole for a plug

Usage Note

Usually appears with walls, drills, and screws. Distinguish from sense 5, which closes a hole, and sense 6, which is the stopper for a sink or bath.

Common Mistakes

Put the screw straight into the wall without a plug.
Put a plug in the wall first, then add the screw.
this sense names the insert that helps the screw hold.

9. a tiny plant growing in a small block of soil, sold before it is planted out.

9.noun
Definition

a tiny plant growing in a small block of soil, sold before it is planted out.

Example

The market sold tomato plugs beside bags of garden soil.

tomato plugs

Mina planted lettuce plugs in long rows after the rain.

Common collocations
  • vegetable plugs
  • a tray of plugs
  • buy plugs
  • plant out plugs
Synonyms
  • seedling

    the broad everyday word for a very young plant

  • starter plant

    explains that the plant is ready to be grown on

  • transplant

    stresses that it will be moved to another place for full growth

Antonyms
  • seed

    an earlier stage before the young plant has started growing

Grammar Patterns

tomato plugs

a tray of plugs

plant out plugs

Usage Note

Common in gardening shops and seed catalogs, often with plant names or trays. It means a starter plant, not the empty cell or the soil by itself.

Common Mistakes

I bought tomato seeds and six tomato plugs.
I bought six tomato plugs.
a plug is already a young plant, not a seed.

10. a tight little mass of soft material rolled together to block a small opening.

10.noun
Definition

a tight little mass of soft material rolled together to block a small opening.

Example

The nurse packed a cotton plug into Ben's nose to stop the bleeding.

soft wad packed into an opening

Grandpa used a paper plug to stop dust entering the pipe.

Common collocations
  • cotton plug
  • gauze plug
  • paper plug
  • remove the plug
Synonyms
  • wad

    the closest general word for a small packed piece of soft material

  • packing

    often used when material is stuffed into a gap or hole

  • stopper

    broader word; it can also be a hard object, not only soft material

Grammar Patterns

a cotton plug

put a plug in [opening]

remove the plug

Usage Note

The material is usually soft, such as cotton, wool, paper, or gauze. Distinguish from senses 5 to 7, where the plug is a shaped solid object.

plug — verb

Word family

  • unplug
    verbB1
  • plug-in
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For noun sense 1, plug is the normal everyday word for the part at the end of a lead that goes into a wall socket. Power plug and mains plug are clearer when you want to stress that it is for electricity, not for sound or data. Connector is broader and can name many kinds of joining parts, so it is useful in technical contexts but less natural in ordinary home situations. Adapter is not the same thing: it is an extra device that lets one plug fit a different socket type. In travel English, you pack an adapter, but your phone charger already has a plug.

power plugmains plugconnector ↗adapter

Etymology

Dutch or Low GermanEnglish

Plug probably came into English from Dutch or Low German words for a stopper or peg. Its earliest sense was a small piece pushed tightly into a hole to block it. English later extended that physical idea to electrical fittings that are inserted into a socket, then to figurative uses such as plugging a gap. The publicity sense is a later informal extension, from the idea of giving something an extra push.