Illustration of plume
- P plume 2a
1
: a feather of a bird: such as
a
: a large conspicuous or showy feather
b
c
: plumage
d
: a cluster of distinctive feathers
2
a
: material (such as a feather, cluster of feathers, or a tuft of hair) worn as an ornament
b
: a token of honor or prowess : prize
3
: something resembling a feather (as in shape, appearance, or lightness): such as
a
: a plumose appendage of a plant
b
: an elongated and usually open and mobile column or band (as of smoke, exhaust gases, or blowing snow)
c
: an animal structure having a main shaft bearing many hairs or filamentous parts
especially
: a full bushy tail
d
: any of several columns of molten rock rising from the earth's lower mantle that are theorized to drive tectonic plate movement and to underlie hot spots
plumed; pluming
1
a
: to provide or deck with feathers
b
: to array showily
2
: to indulge (oneself) in pride with an obvious or vain display of self-satisfaction
3
of a bird
a
: to preen and arrange the feathers of (itself)
b
: to preen and arrange (feathers)
Examples of plume in a Sentence
Noun
a hat with bright ostrich plumes
the Nobel Prize for Literature is the plume that all authors covet
Verb
that jerk plumes himself on his supposed athletic skills
Recent Examples on the Web
Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025
Adding to the spectacle, a plume of Saharan dust is making its way from South Florida toward the Gulf Coast.
—Jim Sergent, USA Today, 5 June 2025
James Horncastle, New York Times, 14 May 2025
Amid Trump’s trade deal victory lap, white smoke plumed out of the Sistine Chapel’s chimney, signaling the papal conclave elected a new pope.
—Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for plume
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Noun
This photo shows the radioactive plume from the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki in Japan on August 9, 1945.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025
Adding to the spectacle, a plume of Saharan dust is making its way from South Florida toward the Gulf Coast.
—Jim Sergent, USA Today, 5 June 2025
Verb
Smoke will plume into the Roman sky again on Wednesday night.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 14 May 2025
Amid Trump’s trade deal victory lap, white smoke plumed out of the Sistine Chapel’s chimney, signaling the papal conclave elected a new pope.
—Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for plume
Cite this Entry
“Plume.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plume. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
plume
1 of 2 noun1
: a feather of a bird
especially
: one that is large and showy
2
a
: a feather or tuft of feathers worn as an ornament (as on a hat)
b
: a deserved prize or reward
3
: something that resembles a feather (as in shape or lightness)
a plume of smoke
plumy
adjective
ˈplü-mē
plume
2 of 2 verb
plumed; pluming
1
: to provide or adorn with feathers
2
: to act with too much pride in oneself
plumed himself on his swimming skill
3
: to arrange the feathers of : preen
a bird pluming itself
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