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drudge

verb
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\ ˈdrəj How to pronounce drudge (audio) \
drudged; drudging

Definition of drudge

 (Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to do hard, menial, or monotonous work

transitive verb

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

drudge

noun

Definition of drudge (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : one who is obliged to do menial work
2 : one whose work is routine and boring
3 : menial or tedious labor
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Other Words from drudge

Verb

drudger noun

Examples of drudge in a Sentence

Verb factory workers who must drudge all day at repetitive tasks Noun She was tired of working as an office drudge. worked like a drudge at a low-paying job that had few benefits
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb While the House drudged through a partisan back-and-forth, top Republicans and Democrats in the Senate hatched a deal. — Andrew Oxford, azcentral, "Questions hang over the budget, major bills as Arizona Legislature makes quick exit," 24 Mar. 2020 As ambitious Jim heads east, Ántonia is a disgraced, unmarried mother drudging on the farm for a churlish brother. — Robert Garnett, WSJ, "Rooted in America’s Heartland," 14 Sep. 2018 So spare a thought on Tuesday for the half-million teenagers drudging through derivatives. — James Markarian, WSJ, "Who Needs Calculus? Not High-Schoolers," 14 May 2018 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 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun His subsequent doldrums include encounters with the Greys, conformist drudges who dress in black and white and often plod around with their eyes glued to their phones. — Washington Post, "In ‘Volta,’ Cirque du Soleil riffs on street sports," 29 July 2019 Buy Photo Is automation destroying familiar jobs, reducing drudge work, collecting more information than anyone expected, and opening opportunities? — Joseph N. Distefano, Philly.com, "America's robot future: Rajant celebrates new HQ, plans for growth," 2 July 2018 Sure, a competent operating person would be nice, to offload some of the drudge work. — Andy Kessler, WSJ, "Where in the World Is Larry Page?," 30 Dec. 2018 Is automation destroying familiar jobs, reducing drudge work, collecting more information than anyone expected, and opening opportunities? — Joseph N. Distefano, Philly.com, "America's robot future: Rajant celebrates new HQ, plans for growth," 2 July 2018 Wendy’s also is trying to drop the drudge of cleaning bacon grease off ovens. — Eric Morath, WSJ, "Short of Workers, Fast-Food Restaurants Turn to Robots," 24 June 2018 Now, the hippie's disappointment is back, rebranded as the stressed-out modern office drudge's salvation. — Lavanya Ramanathan, chicagotribune.com, "CBD is cannabis that won't get you high. So why are so many people using it?," 30 Mar. 2018 Quincy, who also enjoys playing the drums, said training isn't a drudge. — Jeff Piorkowski/special To Cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "Memorial Junior High School student Harris is second-ranked boxer in United States; has Olympic goal," 9 Feb. 2018 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

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.

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First Known Use of drudge

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for drudge

Verb

Middle English druggen

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Time Traveler for drudge

Time Traveler

The first known use of drudge was in the 14th century

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Statistics for drudge

Cite this Entry

“Drudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drudge. Accessed 8 Mar. 2021.

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More Definitions for drudge

drudge

noun

English Language Learners Definition of drudge

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

See the full definition for drudge in the English Language Learners Dictionary

drudge

noun
\ ˈdrəj How to pronounce drudge (audio) \

Kids Definition of drudge

: a person who does hard or dull work

More from Merriam-Webster on drudge

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for drudge

Nglish: Translation of drudge for Spanish Speakers

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