Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Planks considered as a group.
  • noun An object or structure made of planks.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The operation of laying down planks or of covering with planks.
  • noun Planks considered collectively, as in a floor; a piece of work made up of planks; specifically, in ship-building, the skin or covering of wooden timbers on the outer and inner surfaces of the ribs, and upon the beams. A strake is a line of planking. Wales are strakes of thick planking. See cut under beam.
  • noun In spinning, the splicing together of slivers of long-stapled wool. See breaking-frame.
  • noun One of the finishing operations in felting hats.
  • noun In a steam-cylinder, the lagging or clothing.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The act of laying planks; also, planks, collectively; a series of planks in place, as the wooden covering of the frame of a vessel.
  • noun The act of splicing slivers. See Plank, v. t., 4.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A series of planks; a group of planks.
  • noun The practice of lying face down with arms to the sides, in unusual public spaces, and taking photographs to record the act.
  • verb Present participle of plank.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (nautical) a covering or flooring constructed of planks (as on a ship)
  • noun the work of covering an area with planks
  • noun planks collectively; a quantity of planks

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

plank +‎ -ing

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word planking.

Examples

  • The term planking originated from Australia but is actually just another name for

    Gizmodo Casey Chan 2011

  • Sam Weckert Sam Weckert, a carpenter who coined the term 'planking,' performs the stunt in South Australia.

    The Planking Phenomenon 2011

  • Sam Weckert Sam Weckert, a carpenter who coined the term 'planking,' performs the stunt in South Australia.

    The Planking Phenomenon 2011

  • I scratched the mold off one place, – here it is, – and I discovered that this planking is real seasoned cedar like they build the best boats of.

    The Slipper Point Mystery 1921

  • The Los Angeles Times said some in the crowd threw bottles at police while others mocked and taunted them, dancing on squad cars or lying flat across the ground in what is known as "planking," a pretty much inexplicable Internet meme that is at once irreverent and potentially dangerous.

    NYT > Home Page By J. DAVID GOODMAN 2011

  • Instead of planking, which is highly dangerous, they're practicing something that is not only safe and family friendly, but something that is deeply connected to prayer and to God.

    Rabbi Joshua Hess: Embracing 'Tebowing' Rabbi Joshua Hess 2011

  • Instead of planking, which is highly dangerous, they're practicing something that is not only safe and family friendly, but something that is deeply connected to prayer and to God.

    Rabbi Joshua Hess: Embracing 'Tebowing' Rabbi Joshua Hess 2011

  • Instead of planking, which is highly dangerous, they're practicing something that is not only safe and family friendly, but something that is deeply connected to prayer and to God.

    Rabbi Joshua Hess: Embracing 'Tebowing' Rabbi Joshua Hess 2011

  • Instead of planking, which is highly dangerous, they're practicing something that is not only safe and family friendly, but something that is deeply connected to prayer and to God.

    Rabbi Joshua Hess: Embracing 'Tebowing' Rabbi Joshua Hess 2011

  • Instead of planking, which is highly dangerous, they're practicing something that is not only safe and family friendly, but something that is deeply connected to prayer and to God.

    Rabbi Joshua Hess: Embracing 'Tebowing' Rabbi Joshua Hess 2011

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • "Queensland Police say a young man who fell to his death from a Brisbane high-rise early this morning had been engaging in the new internet craze of planking.

    Planking, which involves a person lying face-down in strange and sometimes dangerous settings, then posting photos of their efforts on the internet, has made news in the past week with the arrest of a Gladstone man.

    Police issued the 20-year-old with a court appearance notice on Tuesday night after he was discovered planking on a police car."

    - Planking blamed for fatal balcony fall, abc.net.au, 15 May 2011.

    May 15, 2011

  • I had a suspicion I might not be first to this gem.

    May 16, 2011