1
: an implement used to cut, lift, and turn over soil especially in preparing a seedbed
2
: any of various devices (such as a snowplow) operating like a plow
plowed; plowing; plows
1
a
: to turn, break up, or work with a plow
b
: to make (something, such as a furrow) with a plow
2
: to cut into, open, or make furrows or ridges in with or as if with a plow
3
: to cleave the surface of or move through (water)
whales plowing the ocean
4
: to clear away snow from with a snowplow
plow the street
5
: to spend or invest (money) in substantial amounts
—used with into
plow money into stocks
1
a
: to use a plow
b
: to undergo plowing
2
a
: to move forcefully into or through something
the car plowed into a fence
b
: to proceed steadily and laboriously
had to plow through a stack of letters
Examples of plow in a Sentence
Verb
The soil was freshly plowed.
They used oxen to plow the field.
My street hasn't been plowed yet.
We hired someone to plow the snow from our driveway.
The town won't start plowing until the storm is almost over.
a ship plowing the ocean
They continued to plow their way through the tall grass.
Recent Examples on the Web
Madeline Mitchell, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
As Malaparte saw it, both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union had produced a new type of worker-peasant, more at home with tank turrets than with plows.
—Thomas Meaney, New Yorker, 2 July 2025
Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
As the Tennessee Department of Revenue continues to plow through processing about $1.5 billion in franchise tax refunds approved by lawmakers last year, little information is publicly available so far on the payouts – including how much of the funds were sent outside of the state.
—Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for plow
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Noun
As for the roads, Lair said, plows have been working around the clock on residential streets since Monday.
—Madeline Mitchell, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
As Malaparte saw it, both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union had produced a new type of worker-peasant, more at home with tank turrets than with plows.
—Thomas Meaney, New Yorker, 2 July 2025
Verb
Three days after a winter storm blanketed Cincinnati, people on the city’s residential streets were still digging out of the snow and awaiting crews to plow the roads.
—Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
As the Tennessee Department of Revenue continues to plow through processing about $1.5 billion in franchise tax refunds approved by lawmakers last year, little information is publicly available so far on the payouts – including how much of the funds were sent outside of the state.
—Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for plow
Cite this Entry
“Plow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plow. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
plow
1 of 2 noun1
: a farm machine used to cut, lift, and turn over soil
2
: a device (as a snowplow) used to spread or clear away matter on the ground
plow
2 of 2 verb1
: to open, break up, or work with a plow
plow a furrow
2
: to move forcefully into or through
a ship plowing the waves
3
: to go steadily and with great effort
plow through a report
4
: to clear away snow from with a plow
plow the road
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