the Plough
noun
British
: a group of seven stars in the northern sky that form a shape that is interpreted as an old-fashioned farmer's plow : big dipper
Examples of the Plough in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As autumn approaches, one of the night sky’s most familiar star patterns — the Big Dipper (known as the Plough in the U.K. and Ireland) — remains a signpost.
—
Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
There was the Milky Way, and the Plough, Venus the brightest planet of them all.
—Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2025
If your vantage point is in the mid to high-latitude northern hemisphere, which includes the UK and America, then the best find is the Plough (or the Big Dipper in the USA).
—Matt Morris, Space.com, 27 Dec. 2024
Constellation Of The Week: Big Dipper Look to the north-northwest and see the Big Dipper—also called the Plough—a pattern of seven bright stars.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024
Entering the Plough is a bit like boarding an ancient ship, all creaking wood and dark corners and perhaps a fiddler playing a jig yonder.
—Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024
After the second album came out in late 2021, Justine Covault invited Newman to assemble some musicians to play a few of Brebner’s songs at the Plough and Stars in Cambridge.
—James Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Feb. 2023
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Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
There was the Milky Way, and the Plough, Venus the brightest planet of them all.
—Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2025
If your vantage point is in the mid to high-latitude northern hemisphere, which includes the UK and America, then the best find is the Plough (or the Big Dipper in the USA).
—Matt Morris, Space.com, 27 Dec. 2024
Constellation Of The Week: Big Dipper Look to the north-northwest and see the Big Dipper—also called the Plough—a pattern of seven bright stars.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024
Entering the Plough is a bit like boarding an ancient ship, all creaking wood and dark corners and perhaps a fiddler playing a jig yonder.
—Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024
After the second album came out in late 2021, Justine Covault invited Newman to assemble some musicians to play a few of Brebner’s songs at the Plough and Stars in Cambridge.
—James Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Feb. 2023
Cite this Entry
“The Plough.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20Plough. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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