plump
/plʌmp/adjective, verb, adverb, noun
plump is spelled P-L-U-M-P: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,651st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, plump means “Having a full and rounded shape; chubby, somewhat overweight” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in plump?
| Letters | 5: P-L-U-M-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.5 times per million words; the 22,651st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is plump?
Plump appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,651st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce plump?
- /plʌmp/
Plump has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-plump.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of plump
- plumper comparative
- more plump comparative
- plumpest superlative
- most plump superlative
- plumps present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- plumping participle, present
- plumped participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does plump mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having a full and rounded shape; chubby, somewhat overweight.
a plump baby; plump cheeks
- 2
Sudden and without reservation; blunt; direct; downright.
- 3
Of a wine: giving the sensation of filling the mouth.
verb
- 1
To grow plump; to swell out.
Her cheeks have plumped.
- 2
To make plump; to fill (out) or support; often with up.
to plump oysters or scallops by placing them in fresh or brackish water
- 3
To give a plumper (kind of vote).
- 4
To give (a vote), as a plumper.
- 5
To favor or decide in favor of.
- 6
To cast or let drop (something) all at once, suddenly and heavily.
to plump a stone into water
- 7
To drop or fall suddenly or heavily, all at once.
September 24, 1712, The Spectator No. 492, letter from a prude Dulcissa plumps into a chair.
adverb
- 1
Directly; suddenly; perpendicularly.
noun
- 1
The sound of a sudden heavy fall.
- 2
obsoleteA knot or cluster; a group; a crowd.
a plump of trees, fowls, or spears
- 3
A group of ducks or geese migrating, or sometimes other groups of birds.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Plump in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense Having a full and rounded shape, chubby:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does plump come from?
From Middle English plump, plompe, a borrowing from Middle Dutch plomp or Middle Low German plump. Cognate with Saterland Frisian plump (“plump”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).