plank: Meaning and Definition of

plank

Pronunciation: (plangk), [key]
— n.
  1. a long, flat piece of timber, thicker than a board.
  2. lumber in such pieces; planking.
  3. something to stand on or to cling to for support.
  4. any one of the stated principles or objectives comprising the political platform of a party campaigning for election: They fought for a plank supporting a nuclear freeze.
  5. We suspect that the new vice-president walked the plank because of a personality clash.
    1. to be forced, as by pirates, to walk to one's death by stepping off a plank extending from the ship's side over the water.
    2. to relinquish something, as a position, office, etc., under compulsion:We suspect that the new vice-president walked the plank because of a personality clash.
—v.t.
  1. to lay, cover, or furnish with planks.
  2. to bake or broil and serve (steak, fish, chicken, etc.) on a wooden board.
  3. plunk (def. 2).
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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