Pluck means to pull something quickly and firmly, usually something small. You might pluck a flower from a garden, pluck a guitar string to make it vibrate and produce sound, or pluck your eyebrows with tweezers. A farmer plucks feathers from a chicken before cooking it.

The word also describes a kind of brave determination. Someone with pluck faces difficulty without giving up or backing down. When a small soccer player takes on much bigger opponents without fear, or when a student keeps trying even after failing several times, they show pluck. This meaning suggests more than simple courage: it captures a scrappy, spirited quality, a refusal to be intimidated.

The connection between these meanings makes sense: just as you must pluck a guitar string decisively, people with pluck take bold action rather than hesitating. A plucky person (the adjective form) combines courage with cheerfulness, facing challenges with energy and spirit rather than grimness.