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
AFAR Media, 23 Oct. 2025
Emphasizing the project’s conceptual basis, one particularly ephemeral edition, The Biggest Nemyrivskiy Art Center, 2013, was a roughly nineteen-thousand-square-foot rectangle outlined on a snowy field by a plow, disappearing as soon as the snow began to melt.
—Joanna Warsza, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025
Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2025
But the images of bulldozers plowing down the East Wing, which has housed the offices of the first lady and others in the White House, has drawn sharp criticism.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plow
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Many of these nonprofit partners—such as the Rocky Mountain Conservancy, Friends of Joshua Tree, and Glacier National Park Conservancy—play a vital role during shutdowns, stepping in to fund restrooms, plow roads, and support volunteer cleanup crews.
—AFAR Media, 23 Oct. 2025
Emphasizing the project’s conceptual basis, one particularly ephemeral edition, The Biggest Nemyrivskiy Art Center, 2013, was a roughly nineteen-thousand-square-foot rectangle outlined on a snowy field by a plow, disappearing as soon as the snow began to melt.
—Joanna Warsza, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
Authorities say Singh was arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated after plowing his big rig into slow-moving traffic on the I-10 Freeway in San Bernardino County.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2025
But the images of bulldozers plowing down the East Wing, which has housed the offices of the first lady and others in the White House, has drawn sharp criticism.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 23 Oct. 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 30 Oct. 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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