เด็ด
pluck
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 pluck、pinch off
- 2 outstanding、excellent、exceptional
This word describes plucking part of a plant off with the fingers or nails. In casual usage, it also describes something—especially food or a place—as exceptionally good or impressive.
pluck、pinch off
To remove a flower, leaf, fruit, or similar part by pinching or snapping it off with the fingers or nails.
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ห้ามเด็ดดอกไม้ในสวน hâam dèt dɔ̀ɔk máay nay sǔan Do not pick the flowers in the garden. ห้ามเด็ดดอกไม้ในสวน details
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ช่วยเด็ดใบกะเพราหน่อย chûay dèt bay kaphraw nɔ̀ɔy Please help me pick some basil leaves. ช่วยเด็ดใบกะเพราหน่อย details
outstanding、excellent、exceptional
A casual, emphatic way to describe a person, thing, dish, or performance as outstanding or especially impressive.
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ร้านนี้เด็ดมาก ráan níi dèt mâak This place is really good. ร้านนี้เด็ดมาก details
Learning notes
Explanation
The basic sense is to pluck a flower, leaf, fruit, or similar plant part by snapping or pinching it off with the fingers or nails. This differs from ตัด, which means to cut, usually with a tool. As an evaluative word, เด็ด is an enthusiastic way to say that something stands out as especially good or highly recommendable. It commonly follows a noun, as in เมนูเด็ด (“signature dish”) and ร้านเด็ด (“outstanding place”). Ideas such as being resolute or decisive are more commonly expressed in modern Thai through compounds such as เด็ดเดี่ยว and เด็ดขาด, so they are not treated here as a separate standalone sense.
Usage
In its action sense, it is used in cooking, gardening, and similar situations when leaves, flowers, chilies, fruit, or other plant parts are plucked by hand. In its evaluative sense, it often appears in conversation, social media, and advertising when enthusiastically recommending food, restaurants, skills, ideas, or other impressive things.
Caution
In the plucking sense, เด็ด is not a general verb meaning “take.” Use หยิบ for picking an object up, เก็บ for gathering or harvesting in many contexts, and ตัด for cutting with a tool. The evaluative sense is casual and punchy. In formal writing, ดีเยี่ยม or โดดเด่น may be more appropriate.
Differences from similar words
1 pluck synonyms
2 outstanding synonyms
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ดีเยี่ยม is a straightforward and relatively neutral way to say “excellent.” เด็ด is more casual and punchy, suggesting that something is special or strongly worth recommending.
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โดดเด่น means “prominent” or “distinctive” and works well in formal contexts. เด็ด is more conversational and expresses stronger personal enthusiasm.