1
as in to struggle
to devote serious and sustained effort
plodded night and day to get the assignment done
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of plod
In less capable hands, these pieces could plod aimlessly and fade away, but Lawson knows how to wring complexity from a minimal set of elements.
—
Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 24 Feb. 2026
Prior to this life explosion, Bill was a casual runner, plodding along in a few marathons and Ironmans.
—Outside Online, 18 Feb. 2026
Dust icily exposes how character can evaporate in the crucible of greed, but the plodding pace makes this ethical exercise feel attenuated and flat by the time the climax rolls around.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 16 Feb. 2026
The buildup of naval assets off and around the coast of Iran is blunt and plodding.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for plod
Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 24 Feb. 2026
Prior to this life explosion, Bill was a casual runner, plodding along in a few marathons and Ironmans.
—Outside Online, 18 Feb. 2026
Dust icily exposes how character can evaporate in the crucible of greed, but the plodding pace makes this ethical exercise feel attenuated and flat by the time the climax rolls around.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 16 Feb. 2026
The buildup of naval assets off and around the coast of Iran is blunt and plodding.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for plod
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plod
Verb
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Despite plenty of sunshine on Monday, high temperatures may struggle to reach 60° with a blustery and cool wind much of the day.—
Steven Sosna,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
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School board candidates endorsed by the group struggled in elections, and rival liberal groups rose up to compete for power in America’s suburbs.—
Collin Binkley,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The show follows Nicky (Levy) and Morgan Dardano (Taylor Ortega), a pastor-and-teacher sibling duo from New Jersey who stumble into organized crime after Morgan steals a necklace from a postal store to bury with their dying grandmother.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2026
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When a character speaks English, an accent is employed and the manner is often a bit stumbling.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The officer grabbed me and said 'you're arrested,' and just put me in handcuffs and drug and dragged me out.—
Mahsa Saeidi,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
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The sharp, plumb bow and the hull that slowly widens aft, for example, reduce resistance and drag.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Growing up in a military family, Vogel shuffled between the East Coast and Europe every two to three years.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
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The Bruins are shuffling off to Buffalo.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Seasoned party-planners say that striving to create meaningful interactions instead of for perfection alleviates some of the stress of hosting.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Apr. 2026
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The rest of the year, Mitchell strived to be part of the crowd.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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When a tire blows out or the engine overheats, fewer than one person a day in the last year has gotten out of their car on the side of the freeway and trudged to a call box.—
Heather McRea,
Oc Register,
14 Apr. 2026
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Veronica, a pug with a spiky pink collar, trudged alongside her sister Betty, a thirteen-year-old hound, in Princeton one recent wet morning.—
Gabriel Debenedetti,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The roaches crawling in a drawer with clean utensils and rodent poop on a counter didn’t help.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
16 Apr. 2026
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For example, the new Canva can crawl the web for breaking tech news overnight, determine what’s trending, then create—and even schedule—social media posts on its own.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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New surveillance video from inside a Brooklyn liquor store shows another angle of the rough mistaken identity arrest that ignited a firestorm of criticism, offering a different angle as one of the detectives appears to stomp the prone suspect.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
19 Apr. 2026
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According to a transcript of Morales’ preliminary hearing, Morales allegedly stomped on Pulido’s head three to four dozen times, punched him in the head, slammed his head, and then heel stomped his head 20 more times.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plod.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plod. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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