Definition

Verb: 1. To make fat or plump: To cause someone or something to become fuller, rounder, or fatter, often by providing nourishment. 2. To depart suddenly: To leave a place abruptly or without warning.

Usage and Examples

• Verb (To make fat or plump):

  • The good food and care helped to plump out the rescued puppy.
  • Her cheeks began to plump out after a few weeks of healthy eating.

• Verb (To depart suddenly):

  • Without a word of goodbye, he just plumped out of the meeting.
  • She plumped out of the room in a fit of anger.

Advanced Usage

• The first meaning is often used in contexts of recovery, health, or care, where a thin person or animal gains a healthier, fuller appearance.
• The second meaning is informal and emphasizes a sudden, sometimes impulsive, exit. It is less common in formal writing.

Variants and Related Words

• Plump (verb): To make something fuller or rounder (e.g., ). Also, to sit or fall down heavily.
• Plump (adjective): Having a full, rounded shape.
• Plump up (phrasal verb): A more common synonym for making something fuller, especially cushions or pillows.

Synonyms

• For "make fat or plump": Fatten, fill out, flesh out.
• For "depart suddenly": Bolt, dash out, rush out, storm out.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Plump for: To choose or decide on something definitively.
  • After much deliberation, I plumped for the chocolate cake.
• Plump up: To make something soft, like a pillow or cushion, fuller by shaking or patting it.
  • Could you plump up the cushions on the sofa?

Notes on Different Meanings

The two definitions of "plump out" are distinct and not closely related. The intended meaning is almost entirely determined by context. The first meaning relates to physical change, while the second relates to movement and departure.

Verb

1. make fat or plump
   • We will plump out that poor starving child
2. depart suddenly
   • He plumped out of the house