plug

plug

I

plug¹ S3 /plʌɡ/ noun [countable]1.  ELECTRICITY
  a. a small object at the end of a wire that is used for connecting a piece of electrical equipment to the main supply of electricity:
    The plug on my iron needs changing.
    an electric plug
  b. especially British English informal a place on a wall where electrical equipment can be connected to the main electricity supply
   SYN  socket, outlet American English
2.  BATH a round flat piece of rubber used for stopping the water flowing out of a bath or sink:
    the bath plug
3.  ADVERTISEMENT informal a way of advertising a book, film etc by mentioning it publicly, especially on television or radio
    put/get in a plug (for something)
    During the show she managed to put in a plug for her new book.
4.  IN AN ENGINE informal the part of a petrol engine that makes a spark, which makes the petrol start burning
   SYN  spark plug:
    Change the plugs every 10,000 miles.
5. pull the plug (on something) informal to prevent a plan, business etc from being able to continue, especially by deciding not to give it any more money:
    The Swiss entrepreneur has pulled the plug on any further investment in the firm.
6.  TO FILL A HOLE an object or substance that is used to fill or block a hole, tube etc
    plug of
    You can fill any holes with plugs of matching wood. ⇨ earplug
7.  FOR HOLDING SCREWS British English a small plastic tube put in a hole to hold a screw tightly
8.  A PIECE OF SOMETHING a piece of something pressed tightly together:
    a plug of tobacco

II

plug² verb (past tense and past participle plugged, present participle plugging) [transitive]
1. (also plug up) to fill or block a small hole:
    We used mud to plug up the holes in the roof.
2. to advertise a book, film etc by mentioning it on television or radio:
    Arnie was on the show to plug his new movie.
3. plug the gap to provide something that is needed, because there is not enough:
    With so few trained doctors, paramedics were brought in to plug the gap.
4. American English old-fashioned to shoot someone
     
plug away phrasal verb
  to keep working hard at something
    plug away at
    If you keep plugging away at it, your English will improve.
plug something ↔ in phrasal verb
  to connect a piece of electrical equipment to the main supply of electricity, or to another piece of electrical equipment:
    ‘Is your printer working?’ ‘Wait a minute – it’s not plugged in.’
plug into something phrasal verb
  1. plug (something) into something to connect one piece of electrical equipment to another, or to be connected:
    Your phone can be plugged into the cigarette lighter socket in your car.
    Games consoles plug into the back of the TV.
  2. informal to realize that something is available to be used and use it:
    A lot of students don’t plug into all the research facilities we have.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ advertise verb [intransitive and transitive] to tell people about a product or service and try to persuade them to buy it, for example in a newspaper, television, or Internet advertisement: Some universities advertise on television. | She has signed a deal to advertise the company's haircare products.
   ▪ promote verb [transitive] to try to increase the sales or popularity of a product or event, for example by selling it at a lower price or talking about it on television: He's in London to promote his new album.
   ▪ market verb [transitive] to try to sell a product or service by deciding which type of people are likely to buy it and by making it interesting to them: The collection is being marketed as clothing for climbers and skiers. | Most companies have agreed not to market products to children under 12.
   ▪ publicize (also publicise British English) verb [transitive] to tell the public about something by writing about it in newspapers, speaking about it on television etc: He had done a lot of interviews to publicize his new book. | The hostages' case has been widely publicized.
   ▪ hype verb [transitive] informal to try to make people think something is good or important by advertising or talking about it a lot on television, the radio etc. Hype is often used when you do not trust the information: The boxing match was being hyped as the biggest fight of the decade.
   ▪ plug verb [transitive] informal to advertise a book, film etc by talking about it on television or radio: Marc was on the show to plug his new play.