September 27, 2011 - Word of the Day: plug

I decided the word of the day would be "plug" after looking at yesterday's word of the day, "gulp," and discovering that if you reverse the letters, you get "plug."

A plug is something that is inserted into an electrical outlet and delivers electricity to a machine. You can also use the word when inserting something that is not electrical. This man, for example, is plugging his fingers into his ears:

Why is he doing that?

These sentences show how to use "plug" as a verb:

• Denise plugged in her TV and turned it on.
• You need to plug this air conditioner into a special outlet.
• Bill unplugged his laptop before leaving the coffee shop. (unplug = take the plug out)
• Plug up the sink before you put water into it.
• If you plug these numbers into the formula, you should get an answer to your question.
• The toilet is all plugged up. Get a plunger.
• Today's guest on The Tonight Show is going to plug his latest movie. (plug = promote for commercial gain)

These sentences show how to use "plug" as a noun:

• Take the plug out of the wall before you do any work on an electrical appliance.
• Most plugs nowadays have three prongs instead of two.
• Henrietta is on life support, but her family wants the doctors to pull the plug because she will probably live the rest of her life in a coma. ("Pull the plug" is an expression that can be used when deciding on matters of life and death in a hospital.)

Word of the Day for September 26, 2011: gulp

Word of the Day: August 2011

Word of the Day: July 2011