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
The Demon Deacons coach ran towards Belichick while removing his hat as the six-time Super Bowl champion coach plodded his way across the field for a blow-by handshake.
—
Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Nov. 2025
The first half of the film feels very slow and plodding.
—NPR, 11 Nov. 2025
Before the former became a modern classic, its debut was considered a touch plodding and a tad dark.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2025
Like most people who headed west on the trail, the Ziebers joined a larger group for safety during the five-month journey, their oxen plodding six days a week.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plod
Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Nov. 2025
The first half of the film feels very slow and plodding.
—NPR, 11 Nov. 2025
Before the former became a modern classic, its debut was considered a touch plodding and a tad dark.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2025
Like most people who headed west on the trail, the Ziebers joined a larger group for safety during the five-month journey, their oxen plodding six days a week.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plod
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plod
Verb
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His strength on defense was particularly impressive for a freshman, as TCU big men Xavier Edmonds and David Punch struggled to create good looks inside the lane thanks in large part to the defense of Peat.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Jan. 2026
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Players throughout the Heat’s rotation struggled to make shots.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Government agencies and businesses that invest in this training, and that insist every critical number survives a deterministic check, will capture AI's benefits without stumbling into its blind spots.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
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Dodge, still suffering the consequences of axing the popular previous generations of Charger and Challenger muscle cars, saw sales stumble down 28% compared with the previous year.—
Liam Rappleye,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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His arm was pinned into the back window of a car as a suspect sped away, dragging him across the pavement for about 100 yards, according to court documents.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
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At least one woman was dragged along the pavement as officers appeared to prepare additional crowd-control devices.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The unit was constantly shuffled this season, and the Trojans deployed six different offensive line combinations while still managing to have one of the most efficient offenses in the Big Ten Conference under position coach Zach Hanson.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
14 Jan. 2026
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Tristan returns home and greets James while Siegfried shuffles the woman out the window.—
Alice Burton,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Mike, played by a rangy, companionable Hugh Jackman, is a striving singer in Milwaukee who has battled the bottle, cannot consistently pay his mortgage, and keeps himself going by appearing at the state fair dressed up to look (and sound) like Don Ho.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
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Everybody loves putting on those Nora Efron classics, and the filmmakers here were striving to make something that was a modern answer to those that was in discussion with When Harry Met Sally and those greats.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But instead of a short gain, Allen and his mates trudged all the way into the end zone.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
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The Rams skipped across the country as a historic 10½-point favorite — biggest postseason spread in modern history — yet trudged home requiring a last-second touchdown pass from the unsinkable Matthew Stafford to a leaping Colby Parkinson.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Now, Letts has brought Coon back to Broadway with the Main Stem debut of his 1996 play Bug, a skin-crawling portrayal of people on the fringes.—
Juan A. Ramírez,
Vogue,
9 Jan. 2026
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One team member crawled inside and fired paintballs filled with vegetable oil, wildlife organization BEAR League told Fox News Digital on Thursday.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Jenkins brutally stomped and punched Coto, who was severely injured and put on life support.—
Tony Aiello,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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Take it slower and stomp a path through new snow or ski on a frozen pond.—
Ashlyn Ware,
Midwest Living,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plod.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plod. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
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