plug

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
plug/plʌɡ/

▶noun

• 1 a piece of solid material fitting tightly into a hole and blocking it up.

  ■ a mass of solidified lava filling the neck of a volcano.

• 2 a device consisting of an insulated casing with metal pins that fit into holes in a socket to make an electrical connection.

  ■ informal an electrical socket.

• 3 informal a piece of publicity promoting a product or event.

• 4 a piece of tobacco cut from a larger cake for chewing.

  ■ (also plug tobacco) tobacco in large cakes designed to be cut for chewing.

• 5 Fishing a lure with one or more hooks attached.

• 6 N. Amer. informal a tired or old horse.

• 7 N. Amer. informal a baby's dummy.

▶verb (plugs, plugging, plugged)

• 1 block or fill in (a hole or cavity).

• 2 (plug something in) connect an electrical appliance to the mains by means of a socket.

  ■ (plug into) have or gain access to (an information system or area of activity).

• 3 informal promote (a product or event) by mentioning it publicly.

• 4 N. Amer. informal shoot or hit.

• 5 (usu. plug away) informal proceed steadily and laboriously with a task.

– derivatives
plugger noun.

– origin C17: from MDu. and Mid. Low Ger. plugge, of unknown ultimate origin.