plow

1 of 2

noun

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

2 of 2

verb

plowed; plowing; plows

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 adjective
plower noun

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
Even with graders, plows and tractors to help them clear snow, emergency personnel and tow trucks struggled to reach motorists for hours, some of whom were forced to abandon their cars on the highway. Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2024 Founder John Michael Kohler started the company in 1873 making plows and other farm tools, and now the $7 billion company produces bathroom fixtures, furniture, tiles, engines, generators and owns two Wisconsin golf courses. Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024 And the second one: How sweet the fat earth’s pressure on the plow, how the spring turns the steppe to its advantage . . Merve Emre, The New York Review of Books, 13 Feb. 2024 Nearby, three young men and a young woman stood ankle-deep in mud as a plow pushed debris to the side of the road. Angie Orellana Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2024 Renner was hospitalized for blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries on Jan. 1, 2023, after his Sno-Cat, a large snow plow that weighs at least 14,330 pounds, ran him over. Zack Sharf, Variety, 10 Jan. 2024 The routes that plows start with for residential streets switches each year to ensure fairness to neighborhoods, according to the Department of Public Works. Drew Dawson, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024 Snow plows were deployed for the first time in two years. USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2024 Under the emergency, residents should avoid parking on public streets to ensure plow trucks can effectively keep city roads clear. Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 11 Jan. 2024
Verb
Musk ultimately plowed more than $40 million into OpenAI before parting ways with the project in 2018. Will Knight, WIRED, 11 Mar. 2024 To participate, the students must plow through a kind of Income Tax 101 curriculum and then take tests drawn from Form 6744. Ron Lieber, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024 In a follow-up clip, husband-to-be Jeff was seen plowing a field where the seeds were then distributed. Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024 The burials were found late last year by a farmer plowing his field near the Bulgarian village of Nova Varbovka. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Feb. 2024 That life is meant to be endured with a brave face, and that rest—much like praise—is earned by plowing through pain. Kristina Kasparian, Longreads, 6 Feb. 2024 The folks from Coca-Cola invited Neil Sobeck to the Detroit Lions' game against Tampa Bay, and everyone happily plowed through pizza, pretzels and hot dogs while the Lions ate the Buccaneers' lunch. Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press, 24 Jan. 2024 Indy Department of Public Works also manages Indy Snow Force, their winter weather operations team, with an online map showing what roads have been plowed already in the city. Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Feb. 2024 And one of the ways the family is doing that is by plowing a bunch of money into struggling kids’ clothier The Children’s Place. Melvin Backman, Quartz, 16 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of plow was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near plow

Cite this Entry

“Plow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plow. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

plow

1 of 2 noun
1
: 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 verb
1
: 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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