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Glite Dictionary
to pluck at

to pluck at

3 6.1
To pull lightly and repeatedly at something with your fingers
  • phrasal verb
  • /plʌk æt/
translation icon : tirar de
  • As it rose from a crouch, it looked like a tiny, ancient man plucking at the rocks.
  • plucked at his sleeve
  • plucked at his beard
  • plucked at her hair

Examples

  • "Mother," Katerina says, plucking at my sleeve, "Mother, I hear water!"

    Fiction book (2000)

  • She plucked at her strings...

    Faces (1968)

  • My mother, who was weeping, plucked at my sleeve until I bent and kissed her.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Her other hand was on her knee, plucking at the green embroidery that decorated the edges of her dress.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Inside the trailer, Julie's three students plucked at violin strings, tuning their instruments.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Then he tugged a sweatshirt over his head, plucking at the thick cloth where it stuck to his skin.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • "How are we to stop this flamethrowing madman?" Guiteau demanded, plucking at his graying beard.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • While waiting for the bus, she nervously plucked at the loose threads on her coat.

  • He plucked at the strings of his guitar, trying to find the right tune.

  • The child plucked at the flowers in the garden, picking a few to give to his mother.

Synonyms

to pull
vsto pluck at
∞ 1.0

To move something toward you using force, often to remove it

is a narrow action using light repeated finger motions rather than general forceful movement
to pluck
vsto pluck at
77 3.5

To pull something out quickly with the fingers

is about gentle repeated small pulls rather than a single sharp removal
to tug
vsto pluck at
56 1.0

To pull something hard, often in a quick way

is lighter and gentler, involving small repeated pulls rather than forceful movement
to finger
vsto pluck at
31 2.8

To touch something with your fingers in a careful or curious way

is about small repeated tugs rather than simple deliberate handling
to pull at
vsto pluck at
12 3.9

To tug gently with your fingers again and again, often when nervous

is the same light repeated finger action without nervous focus
to poke at
vsto pluck at
9 2.5

Push gently at something or someone with a finger

is about repeated gentle finger pulling rather than a pushing or prodding action
to pick at
vsto pluck at
5 3.8

Pull at something with your fingers again and again, often nervously

is a light repeated finger action not always caused by nervous habit
to prod
vsto pluck at
4 3.7

To poke a person, animal, or object with a stick

is about repeated gentle finger pulling rather than pushing to provoke a response
to thumb
vsto pluck at
4 3.7

To move or touch something using the short, thick finger at the side of the hand

is focused on light repeated pulling rather than simple exploratory touching

Antonyms

to release
∞ 1.8

To let someone or something go free from being held

How Forceful

to yank
196 4.1
to tug
56 1.0
to pluck at
3 6.1
to touch
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

pluck at infinitive
plucked at past
plucked at past participle
plucking at present participle
plucks at third person singular

Morphology

pluck + at

The meaning 'to pull or tug repeatedly or lightly with the fingers' is directly derivable from 'pluck' (to pull or pick sharply) combined with the preposition 'at' indicating the target or repeated action. This composition follows a common verb + preposition pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Pluck at comes from the simple image of using your fingers to pluck a string or a loose thread, pulling it gently again and again. So it now means 'to pull or tug lightly or repeatedly'.