plod

verb

ˈpläd How to pronounce plod (audio)
Definition of plodnext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to drag
to move slowly plodded reluctantly off to work

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
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 Loaded trucks plodded through the crowd with people in their cargo beds throwing tomatoes at the revelers — who, in turn, hurled them at one another. — ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026 Santa, who was heavy and plodding with bad knees, couldn’t keep up as Gayle tailed this man through an alleyway. — Wilbert L. Cooper, Longreads, 25 Aug. 2026 Events plod forward, one after the other, and although Michael Shaeffer is a thoroughly compelling presence as the cruel and chronically unstable monarch Aerys, other performances seem nuance-free. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 10 Aug. 2026 That optionality may be more enticing for New York than just signing a plodding third center. — Tom Rende, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for plod
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plod
  1. struggle
  2. stumble
  3. drag
  4. shuffle
  5. strive
  6. trudge
  7. crawl
  8. stomp
Verb
  • But even when Antetokounmpo was on the court in the second half, the Heat struggled.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The high prices are adding to pain for cattle ranchers in western states, who were already struggling with persistent drought.
    — Anna King, NPR, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of struggle
Verb
  • There was upset after upset, and a few teams were on the verge of stumbling as well.
    — David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Next week will bring major risks for a stock market that's trying to find its footing as the AI trade continues to stumble, with several megacap earnings, a Federal Reserve meeting and a key inflation report in store.
    — Sarah Min, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of stumble
Verb
  • Supporters — business groups and affordable housing advocates — say CEQA lawsuits drag projects out for years, jacking up your rent and mortgage.
    — Kiara Adams, Sacbee.com, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Related Stories The allegation relates to an incident in which Brand allegedly grabbed the woman by the arm and tried to drag her into a toilet.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of drag
Verb
  • It’s been more than a year since Ozzy Osbourne shuffled off this mortal coil.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The Current traded away some assets while shuffling stars like Michelle Cooper, Temwa Chawinga and Lorena in and out of the lineup.
    — PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of shuffle
Verb
  • Kansas has emerged as an unlikely battleground in a turbulent midterm election year for Republicans, who are striving to hold onto slim majorities in both chambers of Congress.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Eager to carry on the family legacy, Charlie strives to become a Baywatch lifeguard alongside her dad.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of strive
Verb
  • Cross over North Figueroa Street, and trudge up the hill before you, which has an average grade of about 15%.
    — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The ground level would sink, the water would seep up, and the horses’ hooves would trudge through mud.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of trudge
Verb
  • However, a new type of gut-crawling worm being designed by engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), may actually be here to help.
    — Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Firefighters bravely crawled past the fire before hoses reached it to pull the five family members out.
    — Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of crawl
Verb
  • His creator, an unnamed basket-weaver (Peter Dinklage), braided him as a mate for a lonely virgin, a fisherwoman (Olivia Colman) who stomps around her rustic village smelling like sushi and tossing her head back in an Eliza Doolittle guffaw.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • But wrap a play in too much homespun folksiness and the thing starts to feel both suffocating and, despite all the driving tunes and stomping choreography in the world, suffocated.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of stomp

Browse Nearby Words

plinths
plod
plodded
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Cite this Entry

“Plod.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plod. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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