plank

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A long, flat piece of wood or other material, thicker than a board, used in building or flooring.

   Grammar: Countable; plural is planks. Often used with 'of' to specify material.

   Patterns

   • a plank of wood
   • a wooden plank
   • planks for flooring

   The carpenter nailed a plank to the wall.

   We walked across a narrow plank over the stream.

   The floor was made of wide oak planks.

2. 2nouncountable

   A core-strengthening exercise in which you hold your body straight, supported on your forearms and toes.

   Grammar: Countable; usually singular in this sense. Often used with 'do' or 'hold'.

   Patterns

   • do a plank
   • hold a plank
   • a plank position

   She does a plank every morning to strengthen her core.

   Hold the plank for 30 seconds without letting your hips drop.

   The fitness instructor demonstrated a side plank.

3. 3verbtransitiveinformal

   To put something down heavily or firmly.

   Grammar: Takes an object: plank something on something.

   Patterns

   • plank something on something
   • plank something down

   He planked the heavy box on the table.

   She planked the groceries down on the counter.

Word forms

Common combinations

walk the plank

In pirate stories, prisoners were forced to walk the plank.

a plank of wood

He sawed a plank of wood to repair the fence.

plank position

Keep your body in a straight plank position.

plank down

She planked down the heavy bag on the floor.

Synonyms and how they differ

board

A board is thinner and often used for specific purposes like cutting; a plank is thicker and used in construction.

timber

Timber refers to wood as a material, especially large pieces; a plank is a specific cut piece.

Word family

planking noun

The act of exercising with planks, or the material used for planks.

Commonly confused: plank or plank?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “plank”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words