1. Blockage consisting of an object designed to fill a hole tightly
   "He used a cork plug to seal the bottle";
   - stopper, stopple
    
2. An electrical device with two or three pins that is inserted in a socket to make an electrical connection
   "He inserted the male plug into the wall outlet";
   - male plug
    
3. Electrical device that fits into the cylinder head of an internal-combustion engine and ignites the gas by means of an electric spark
   "The mechanic replaced all six spark plugs to improve the engine's efficiency";
   - spark plug, sparking plug
    
4. [informal] A recommendation or promotion of something as part of an article, talk, TV show, etc.
   "during the interview she slipped in a plug for her book"
    
5. A wad of something chewable as tobacco
   "He always had a plug in his cheek";
   - chew, chaw, quid, wad
    
6. [N. Amer, informal] An old or over-worked horse
   "The farmer's plug had seen better days";
   - hack, jade, nag
    
7. [N. Amer, informal] An upright hydrant for drawing water to use in fighting a fire
   "The firefighters quickly connected their hoses to the nearest plug";
   - fireplug [N. Amer], fire hydrant
    
8. (fishing) a type of lure consisting of a rigid, buoyant or semi-buoyant body and one or more hooks
   "He caught a large bass using a topwater plug"

1. Insert a plug into
   "plug the wall"
    
2. Insert as a plug
   "She plugged a cork in the wine bottle"
    
3. Fill or close tightly with or as if with a plug
   "plug the hole";
   - stop up, secure
    
4. Advertise; praise the qualities of something in order to sell or promote
   "The author plugged his new book on several talk shows"
    
5. [informal] Persist in working hard
   "Students must plug away at this problem";
   - plug away
    
6. [N. Amer, informal] Deliver a quick blow to
   "he plugged me in the stomach";
   - punch, dong [Austral, NZ, informal]
    
7. Replace the centre of a coin with a baser metal
   "plug a nickle"

Derived forms: plugging, plugged, plugs

See also: plugged

Type of: advertise, advertize [US, non-standard], bit, bite, block, blockage, close, electrical device, enclose, Equus caballus, fill up, flack [N. Amer, informal], hang in [informal], hang on, hit, hold on, horse, hoss [US, informal], hydrant, inclose, insert, introduce, morsel, persevere, persist, promote, push, put in, stick in, stoppage

Part of: ignition, ignition system

Encyclopedia: Plug