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
Potholes may have formed recently because of rain showers, or when plows were removing snow over the weekend, Woodrum said. Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 24 Jan. 2024 The Daily News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK A vehicle with an attached snow plow pulled into a gas station along Joe B. Jackson Parkway after clearing snow on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024. David Baratz, USA TODAY, 20 Jan. 2024 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
Verb
Automakers across America have plowed millions of dollars into their electric vehicle strategies in recent years. Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 24 Mar. 2024 The Jewish American group’s political arm plowed $5 million into a super PAC supporting Schiff. Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 This triggered panic and some people were shot while others were plowed by trucks whose drivers tried to flee, eyewitnesses say. Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 Virginia legislators plow through bills as session reaches midpoint In practice, abortions at any point in the third trimester are extremely rare in Virginia and only occur in cases of severe medical issues. Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2024 Americans have plowed untold sums into factories, data centers, and real estate properties throughout the region. Andrew S. Erickson, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2024 Even the streetlamps are gone, mowed down when tanks plowed through the narrow lanes as the Israeli army arrived to defend against the attackers. Roni Caryn Rabin, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2024 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

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 28 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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