PLOD Synonyms: 159 Similar and Opposite Words

plod

verb

ˈpläd

Definition of plod

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

as in to stumble

to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually oxen plodding through deep mud

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as in to drag

to move slowly plodded reluctantly off to work

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to shuffle

to move heavily or clumsily wayfarers plodding across the sandy wastes

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of plod By all accounts, the rocket was viewed as a major success for a company that, for so long, had seemed to plod along. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026 The other human beings his size have either been plodding trees who can barely get up the floor or rail-thin gazelles who can’t handle the G-forces their bodies generate at full speed. — Jared Weiss, New York Times, 24 May 2026 Just last week, an Alameda County jury awarded $16 million to one such abuse victim, in a key case aimed at spurring long-plodding settlement talks between other abuse victims and the diocese. — Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2026 The Senate should be plodding, and steady, and boring, and trustworthy. — Scott Pelley, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for plod

Recent Examples of Synonyms for plod

Verb

In the galley, Joy struggles to accommodate two sheets of Suzanne’s preferences and one sheet of Sugar Baby’s.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 21 July 2026
Day to day, as the city grows, there’s also the question of traffic, which snarls the city as public transit initiatives have repeatedly struggled.

— Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 21 July 2026

Definition of struggle

Verb

The first version stumbled spectacularly—employees persuaded it to stock novelty tungsten cubes and sell them at a loss—but later iterations became considerably more competent.

— Victor Dey, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
But then our son stumbles into the room and burrows between us, his warmth radiating right alongside my light.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026

Definition of stumble

Verb

The European Space Agency’s ClearSpace-1, planned for 2029, tackles the harder case by capturing the unprepared, noncooperative Proba-1 satellite and dragging it down to burn up.

— Wanjiku Chebet Kanjumba, The Conversation, 22 July 2026
Hellerstein appeared skeptical that the parties would resolve all classified-information questions by June, noting that the process can drag on.

— Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 22 July 2026

Definition of drag

Verb

While the downtown’s worth a visit on its own, most visitors shuffle in for a visit to Singing Beach, a stretch of fine sand just 10 minutes on foot from the train station.

— Jenn Sinrich, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 July 2026
Pre-shot routines such as Patrick Cantlay’s foot-shuffling and Brian Harman’s waggles have driven golf fans up a wall.

— Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 20 July 2026

Definition of shuffle

Verb

What specific gaps in the motorsports ecosystem was the team striving to solve?

— Michael Harley, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
There was so much striving, by individuals and their teams, striving for the World Cup trophy and striving against every structural indecency that conspired to compromise the game’s integrity.

— Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 20 July 2026

Definition of strive

Verb

The Phillies and Mets, meanwhile, trudged through tough conditions in New York’s 4-1 road win last night.

— Chris Branch, New York Times, 17 July 2026
During the last quarter century, Mia has watched the monarch population figures trudge downward, part of a larger disappearance in which butterfly numbers in the United States have plummeted by 20 percent.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026

Definition of trudge

Verb

Fort Hood, Texas, one of the Army's largest bases, has closed one of its dining facilities after a video circulating on X appeared to show dozens of roaches crawling across the walls of the facility's kitchen.

— Steven Beynon, ABC News, 23 July 2026
Flash flood warnings were then issued again for New York City and nearby states as thunderstorms crawled across the region on Tuesday afternoon and evening.

— Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 23 July 2026

Definition of crawl

Verb

Dominik Mysterio Joe Hendry opened up by ramming Dominik into the corner and stomping him.

— Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Twenty wrestlers are committed to slipping on their mawashi loincloths (don’t call it a diaper), stomping to signal their readiness (that’s a shiko) and doing some belly-slapping grappling.

— Cassidy Alexander, AJC.com, 21 July 2026

Definition of stomp

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plinths

plod

plodded

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Style

“Plod.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plod. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of plod

verb

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