pluck up

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But Ecclesiastes got it right about everything having a season, “a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2025

Shrewd pumpkin pickers will pluck up the best of the lot the first or second weekend in October, the grower said, but last weekend’s rains probably reduced the crowds.

From Washington Times • Oct. 24, 2020

“If you're working with a bully, do you back down and cower, or do you try to pluck up your feathers and look larger?” she asked.

From Washington Post • Jan. 9, 2020

I had such low confidence I found it easier to hide my illiteracy rather than pluck up the courage to ask for help, mainly through fear of being labelled "stupid" by other kids.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2018

"So suddenly you had a house all of your own! But how did you pluck up the courage to tell the aunt?"

From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl