plow

noun \ ˈplau̇ \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of plow

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

See plow defined for English-language learners

See plow defined for kids

Recent Examples of plow from the Web

The first priority for plow crews will be to treat primary and secondary roads in the county, Kittleman said.

— kate magill, Columbia Flier, "Spring starts with snow in Howard County, plows and power crews in action," 21 Mar. 2018
The plow tracker has been popular, Williams said, with 30,000 users this winter.

— ese olumhense, chicagotribune.com, "With street sweeping season starting Monday in Chicago, city officials roll out new online tool," 30 Mar. 2018
For Wednesday, Nursick said the full complement of 634 state plow vehicles would be called into service.

— nicholas rondinone, courant.com, "Fourth March Nor'easter Threatens 12 Inches Of Snow," 20 Mar. 2018
Elsewhere in the city, winds and massive waves were whipping the coast, but roads remained open as plows continued through what is expected to be a long day of heavy accumulation.

— globe staff, BostonGlobe.com, "It’s no walk on the beach for coastal areas," 13 Mar. 2018
And even more snow means smaller plows may not work as well, and hills of snow can become mountains.

— aric jenkins, Time, "A Third Nor'easter Is Battering the East Coast. Here's How Much Snow Winter Storm Skylar Could Bring," 13 Mar. 2018
Since the driver did not advise him of this or leave a note, the resident planned to call the plow company the next morning.

— thomas jewell, cleveland.com, "More things that go bump in the night: Moreland Hills police blotter," 8 Mar. 2018
Roads jammed, trapping plows in traffic along with everyone else.

— elliot njus, OregonLive.com, "From Snowpocalypse to Snowproblem, what a difference a year can make," 25 Feb. 2018
The Indiana Department of Transportation resorted to sending teams of as many as four plows simultaneously to clear some highways.

— CBS News, "Chicago's first snowstorm of the weekend ends but more snow is on the way," 10 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.

Origin and Etymology of plow

Middle English, from Old English plōh hide of land; akin to Old High German pfluog plow

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 12th century

See Words from the same year

Other Agriculture/Gardening Terms

fallow, graft, heirloom, loam, potash, soilage, swath, tilth, windfall

plow

verb

Definition of plow

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

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

—

plowable

play \ˈplau̇-ə-bəl\ adjective

—

plower

play \ˈplau̇(-ə)r\ noun

See plow defined for English-language learners

Examples of plow in a Sentence

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 of plow from the Web

Across Borders Venture investors are plowing increasing amounts of money into companies in other countries, with Asian investors leading the pack.

— phred dvorak, WSJ, "Silicon Valley Powered American Tech Dominance—Now It Has a Challenger," 12 Apr. 2018
The bank had caught a case of Goldman envy and plowed into mortgage-bond bets at precisely the wrong time.

— hugh son, Bloomberg.com, "Wall Street’s Big Banks Are Waging an All-Out Technological Arms Race," 5 Apr. 2018
The plane came bouncing and hurtling down the two-lane highway, clipping trees and utility poles along the way and plowing into parked cars.

— samme chittum, Smithsonian, "What Happened When a Southern Airways Flight 242 Crashed in Sadie Burkhalter’s Front Yard," 26 Mar. 2018
As one high-major giant after another bowed out, Kansas and Duke plowed ahead, at a remove from the tumult.

— chris johnson, SI.com, "Malik Newman's Surprising Star Turn Comes at the Perfect Time for Final Four-Bound Kansas," 26 Mar. 2018
For anyone wondering what happens in the event that a driver loses control and plows into a snowbank, apparently Lamborghini has thought of this, too, so the answer is not much.

— steve siler, Car and Driver, "Sliding with the Bulls: We Survive Lamborghini’s Winter Accademia," 17 Mar. 2018
At one crosswalk, where a young couple was pushing a stroller across the street, the car plowed straight ahead.

— leah garchik, San Francisco Chronicle, "Has the president’s email been hacked by the Chinese?," 13 Mar. 2018
Despite the court order, Majors was accused of plowing his car into Haifa Jabara in 2015.

— Washington Post, "Man guilty of killing neighbor after long-running feud," 6 Mar. 2018
During the third quarter, Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles scrambled for a first down, but plowed headfirst into a CBS cameraman on the sideline.

— rob tornoe, Philly.com, "Romo had fun at cameraman's expense, Saints coach got advice from Fox Sports reporter," 8 Jan. 2018

First Known Use of plow

15th century

plow Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Near Antonyms

break, ease (up), let up, slacken;

bum, chill, dally, dillydally, 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, goof (around), hang, mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle;

attack, drive;

essay, try;

exercise, exert, overexert, overwork;

eke out, grind (out), put out, scrabble, scratch;

trudge, wade;

Phrases

sweat blood;

PLOW Defined for English Language Learners

plow

noun

Definition of plow for English Language Learners

: a piece of farm equipment that is used to dig into and turn over soil especially to prepare the soil for planting

plow

verb

Definition of plow for English Language Learners

: to dig into or break up (dirt, soil, land, etc.) with a plow
: to use a snowplow to remove snow from a road, parking lot, etc.
: to move through, over, or across (something) in a forceful and steady way

PLOW Defined for Kids

plow

noun \ ˈplau̇ \

Definition of plow for Students

1 : a farm machine used to dig into, break up, and turn over soil

2 : a device (as a snowplow) used to spread or clear away matter on the ground

plow

verb

Definition of plow for Students

plowed; plowing

1 : to dig into, break up, or turn over soil with a plow

plow a furrow

plow the soil

2 : to move through or continue with force or determination

Our ship plowed through the waves.

She plowed ahead with the planning.

Learn More about plow

See words that rhyme with plow Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for plow Spanish Central: Translation of plow Nglish: Translation of plow for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of plow for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about plow

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plow

Definition of plow

Recent Examples of plow from the Web

Origin and Etymology of plow

Other Agriculture/Gardening Terms

plow

Definition of plow

plowable

plower

Examples of plow in a Sentence

Recent Examples of plow from the Web

First Known Use of plow

plow Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Phrases

Phrases Related to PLOW

Related Phrases

PLOW Defined for English Language Learners

plow

Definition of plow for English Language Learners

plow

Definition of plow for English Language Learners

PLOW Defined for Kids

plow

Definition of plow for Students

plow

Definition of plow for Students

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