1
as in to struggle
to devote serious and sustained effort
plodded night and day to get the assignment done
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stumble
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
oxen plodding through deep mud
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
4
as in to shuffle
to move heavily or clumsily
wayfarers plodding across the sandy wastes
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of plod
Throughout the month of May, Beijing and Washington made plodding progress toward a trade deal, both agreeing to lower and suspend duties on each other for a period of 90 days on May 12.
—
Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 16 June 2025
Everyone plodded along, trying desperately to avoid rough that hasn’t been cut and greens that never seem to lose their speed.
—Doug Ferguson, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2025
Her language moves the way the turtle does, with a deliberate, clumsy gait, carrying bulky rhymes and blocks of alliteration on plodding feet.
—A.o. Scott, New York Times, 13 June 2025
To the credit of Brooks and company, his results are less plodding than many such Z-grade fantasies were.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for plod
Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 16 June 2025
Everyone plodded along, trying desperately to avoid rough that hasn’t been cut and greens that never seem to lose their speed.
—Doug Ferguson, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2025
Her language moves the way the turtle does, with a deliberate, clumsy gait, carrying bulky rhymes and blocks of alliteration on plodding feet.
—A.o. Scott, New York Times, 13 June 2025
To the credit of Brooks and company, his results are less plodding than many such Z-grade fantasies were.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for plod
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plod
Verb
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Though several Democrats are starting to make moves toward 2028, liberals have struggled with the lack of a main character to match Trump's political moxie the way then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi did in his first term.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
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Now, with no practical skills to speak of, the newly unemployed Grant struggled to find work.—
Casey Cep,
New Yorker,
28 June 2025
Verb
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After seven years of searching the West for the perfect place to call home, Northern California author and wellness practitioner Osha Reader stumbled upon her peaceful High Sierra retreat by chance.—
David Caraccio,
Sacbee.com,
28 June 2025
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Astronomers studying a distant galaxy cluster stumbled upon ancient radio signals that might hold clues to the formation of the early universe.—
Nick Butler,
FOXNews.com,
28 June 2025
Verb
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Even as Beijing drags its feet on financial reforms, the chaos surrounding Trump 2.0 is making the case, day after day, for an alternative to the dollar.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
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Tense scenes played out in the chamber as voting came to a standstill, dragging on for hours as holdout senators huddled for negotiations.—
Lisa Mascaro,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2025
Verb
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Nicolo Barella would often drop between Stefan de Vrij and right centre-back Matteo Darmian or pull wide outside of Urawa’s defensive block to kickstart Inter’s possession, meaning the Japanese side were comfortable shuffling from side to side with the game in front of them.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
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The latest major example of this reliable horror subgenre shuffling (or in this case running) into theaters is 28 Years Later.—
James Grebey,
Time,
20 June 2025
Verb
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Kenn Ricci, founder of Flexjet, is an executive who strives to embody both while also running a business in one of the more challenging industries to be sustainable in, aviation.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
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But improvements on the field are what this group strives for each year.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
27 June 2025
Verb
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Mafalda’s father is quiet and unassuming, trudging to his job as a clerk at an insurance company and returning home to wage war on the ants that threaten his houseplants.—
Daniel Alarcón,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
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Eighteen Democrats joined with most Republicans to pass the legislation, which has trudged forward through a series of procedural hurdles on the Senate floor over the past four weeks.—
Julia Shapero,
The Hill,
17 June 2025
Verb
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The next day, at 9:10 p.m., Boelter crawled out of a wooded area and surrendered to law enforcement.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
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To make the stakes even higher, Player 39 crawls to the edge after the round ends.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
27 June 2025
Verb
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The dinos will stomp back into theaters just in time to set off major fireworks at the Fourth of July holiday, or at least that’s the hope.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
12 June 2025
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To close out the show, Megan stomped down the catwalk in the Dipped in Gold One-Piece from her swimwear collection, made in collaboration with Walmart.—
Starr Bowenbank,
People.com,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plod.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plod. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
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