plow

noun

\ ˈplau̇

Definition of plow

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

plow

verb

plowed; plowing; plows

Definition of plow (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : 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

intransitive verb

1a : to use a plow

b : to undergo plowing

2a : 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

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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: Noun

Children ages 3-7 will rejoice as in Marc Rosenthal’s retro illustrations the little plow surges into action, rays of purposeful energy shooting off his red chassis. — Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, "Children’s Books: Season’s Readings," 30 Nov. 2018 Although plows sought to sweep the runways clear, hundreds of flights from the region’s three major airports were canceled or delayed, and nearly three-quarters of the flights scheduled to depart from busy New York airports suffered the same fate. — Washington Post, "The calendar says it’s spring but wintry weather says otherwise," 21 Mar. 2018 Kevin Hoffer was driving underneath an overpass when chunks of snow and ice displaced from a plow truck crashed onto his SUV's windshield. — Kelly O'sullivan, Country Living, "This Terrifying Viral Video Shows Falling Snow Shatter a Driver's Windshield," 5 Dec. 2018 The plow driver is a private contractor hired by Tufts Medical Center to clear streets and sidewalks around hospital grounds, Evans said. — Felicia Gans, BostonGlobe.com, "Woman, 67, critically injured when hit by snow plow near Tufts Medical Center," 8 Mar. 2018 There was a patch of white snow at the very end, either pushed by a plow or swirled together by the wind. — James Lynch, Popular Mechanics, "The Joys of Shoveling Snow," 3 Dec. 2018 Usually, public agencies deploy an army of plows and salt spreaders ahead of storms. — Paul Berger, WSJ, "New York City and New Jersey Take Heat Over Response to Snowstorm," 16 Nov. 2018 The highly energetic particles in a cosmic ray’s air shower plow through the water faster than light can. — Adam Hadhazy, Discover Magazine, "Scientists Hunt for A Seeming Paradox: A Magnet With Only One Pole," 13 Nov. 2018 Many church services and other events in the Milwaukee area were canceled Sunday and officials were recommending people stay off the roads as plows and salt trucks tried to clear roadways. — Meg Jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Spring storm brings ice and snow to Milwaukee and eastern Wisconsin," 15 Apr. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

In those moments, a drunk driver plowed into the car. — Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, "Black Mirror Season 5, Episode 2 Recap: "Smithereens"," 31 May 2019 Photo: China Minzu Daily Businesses connected to the Zhou family helped enrich North Korea as Pyongyang plowed much of its national income into weapons development, according to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal. — James T. Areddy, WSJ, "Comrades in Commerce: A Chinese Hero’s Family Nurtures an Alliance With North Korea," 2 Sep. 2018 In order to appeal to local audiences, the company plowed money into local-language production in Rio, Manila, Tokyo, Berlin and elsewhere. — Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, "As Netflix Goes Global, Can It Avoid Regional Politics?," 16 Apr. 2018 One of the earliest images is of a tractor, plowing through dark loam and unearthing an artillery shell, presumably from the killing fields of the First World War. — Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, "“This Is Our Land” and “Le Corbeau”," 5 July 2010 Britain is plowing ahead with its withdrawal from the European Union. — Liz Alderman, New York Times, "As Greece Ends a Decade of Bailouts, Problems Linger for Europe," 19 June 2018 In this picture Planet Nine might have been an outbound world that plowed through enough debris to slow down and get trapped in the solar hinterlands. — Lee Billings, Scientific American, "Looking for Planet Nine, Astronomers Gaze into the Abyss," 22 Mar. 2018 By 7:23, the high school senior is sitting in the front row of her computer class, plowing through brain puzzles. — TIME.com, "A Dreamer’s Life," 6 Mar. 2018 Prime Minister Narendra Modi is plowing about 8.6 trillion rupees ($133 billion) to upgrade the nation’s rail networks and last year kicked off a plan to build a 316-mile bullet train line linking the commercial hubs of Mumbai and Ahmedabad. — Fortune, "Richard Branson's Virgin Hyperloop Has Plans to Turn This 3 Hour Airport Trip Into a Cakewalk," 19 Feb. 2018

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