drudge

play

verb \ ˈdrəj \

Definition of drudge

drudged; drudging

intransitive verb

:to do hard, menial, or monotonous work

transitive verb

:to force to do hard, menial, or monotonous work

—

drudger

noun

See drudge defined for kids

Examples of drudge in a Sentence

factory workers who must drudge all day at repetitive tasks

Recent Examples of drudge from the Web

The simplest remedies feel like weights drudged up from the bottom of the ocean.

— jen hatmaker, Health.com, "How I Finally Broke Free From a Two-Month Case of the Doldrums," 11 Aug. 2017
While drudging through hateful comments can definitely make a negative impact on your mental health, reading kind comments out loud could act as an antidote.

— brittney mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "Internet Stars Read Instagram Comments Out Loud," 20 June 2017
The majority of what scientists know about this deep-sea creature comes from corpses drudged up in trawl nets.

— National Geographic, "Watch as Octopus Eats Jellyfish, Then Clings to It as Likely Weapon," 5 Apr. 2017
One search drudged up an advertisement for an upcoming story about an orphan named Jack Engle in a paper that Whitman was known to have written for.

— aaron sidder, Smithsonian, "A Graduate Student Just Discovered a Lost Work of Fiction by Walt Whitman," 23 Feb. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'drudge.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of drudge

Middle English druggen

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First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

drudge Synonyms

Synonyms

bang away, beaver (away), dig (away), labor, endeavor, fag, grub, hump, hustle, moil, peg (away), plod, plow, plug, slave, slog, strain, strive, struggle, sweat, toil, travail, tug, work

Related Words

apply (oneself), buckle (down), dig in, hammer (away), knuckle down, pitch in; attack, drive; essay, try; exercise, exert, overexert, overwork; eke out, grind (out), put out, scrabble, scratch; trudge, wade

Near Antonyms

break, ease (up), let up, slacken; bum, chill, dally, dillydally, footle, goldbrick, goof (off), hack (around), hang (around or out), idle, laze, loaf, lounge, shirk, slack (off), veg out; bask, loll, relax, repose, rest, unwind; dabble, doodle, fool around, fribble, goof (around), hang, hang about [British], mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle

drudge

noun

Definition of drudge

1 :one who is obliged to do menial work

2 :one whose work is routine and boring

3 :menial or tedious labor

See drudge defined for English-language learners

Examples of drudge in a Sentence

She was tired of working as an office drudge.
worked like a drudge at a low-paying job that had few benefits

Recent Examples of drudge from the Web

Blake Bortles needs a lifeline, a safety vest, perhaps a hand up, to pull himself from the drudge of a career implosion.

— george diaz, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Blake Bortles, once a franchise QB, fights for NFL career," 24 Aug. 2017
DRUDGE just updated his headlines -- this is a good rundown of what narrative in pro-Trump universe will be like pic.twitter.com/BOc9264S6h But all of that is secondary.

— alex shephard, New Republic, "James Comey’s testimony was even more explosive than expected.," 8 June 2017
Fears of new terror attack after van 'mows down 20 people' on London Bridge... -- DRUDGE REPORT (@DRUDGE_REPORT) June 3, 2017 London authorities at that point had confirmed only a few details.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "World leaders call for unity after London attack. Trump tweets the complete opposite.," 4 June 2017
ROMNEY SERIOUS ABOUT SENATE RUN... https://t.co/YVN17PWsem — DRUDGE REPORT (@DRUDGE_REPORT) May 25, 2017 Romney would be a natural fit for this race.

— graham vyse, New Republic, "Just run for Senate already, Romney.," 25 May 2017
ROMNEY SERIOUS ABOUT SENATE RUN... https://t.co/YVN17PWsem — DRUDGE REPORT (@DRUDGE_REPORT) May 25, 2017 Romney would be a natural fit for this race.

— graham vyse, New Republic, "Just run for Senate already, Romney.," 25 May 2017
Drudge tried to frame Trump’s numbers positively by comparing Trump’s 48 percent to the 47.9 percent average for Barack Obama.

— philip bump, Washington Post, "Trump takes a moment to brag that less than half the country thinks he’s doing a good job," 25 May 2017
DRUDGE REPORT (@DRUDGE_REPORT) May 10, 2017 CNN is reporting that Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein are interviewing potential interim FBI directors Wednesday, according to a Justice Department official.

— leada gore, AL.com, "Trump unleashes tweet storm on Comey firing, blasts 'Cryin' Chuck, Democrats and 'fake news'," 10 May 2017
DRUDGE REPORT (@DRUDGE_REPORT) May 10, 2017 CNN is reporting that Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein are interviewing potential interim FBI directors Wednesday, according to a Justice Department official.

— leada gore, AL.com, "Trump unleashes tweet storm on Comey firing, blasts 'Cryin' Chuck, Democrats and 'fake news'," 10 May 2017

First Known Use of drudge

15th century

drudge Synonyms

Synonyms

dogsbody [chiefly British], drone, slave, drudger, fag, foot soldier, grub, grubber, grunt, laborer, peon, plugger, slavey, slogger, toiler, worker

Antonyms

fun, play

Related Words

workhorse; coolie, serf

Near Antonyms

goldbrick, shirker; drone, idler, lazybones, loafer, slouch, slug, sluggard

DRUDGE Defined for English Language Learners

drudge

noun

Definition of drudge for English Language Learners

: a person who does boring, difficult, or unpleasant work

DRUDGE Defined for Kids

drudge

play

noun \ ˈdrəj \

Definition of drudge for Students

:a person who does hard or dull work

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drudge

Definition of drudge

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First Known Use of drudge

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Near Antonyms

DRUDGE Defined for English Language Learners

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