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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 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 The answer is complex, highlighting the dramatic differences between the public perception of a case and the careful, plodding way that evidence must be presented in a courtroom, experts said. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 27 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for plod

Recent Examples of Synonyms for plod

Verb

Underwood, then a true freshman, struggled in that meeting, and his inconsistent play against Western Michigan (12-of-22 passing) has led to questions about his job status.

— Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Despite being one of Africa’s largest oil producers, the Dangote Refinery initially struggled to secure enough domestic crude and had to turn to international suppliers at a premium.

— Nana Menya Ayensu, semafor.com, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of struggle

Verb

But since then, Nosková has solidified while Sabalenka has stumbled, and the Czech has also gotten through some tough matches to reach this one.

— Ava Wallace, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Byron Nelson stumbles again Normally an area power, Trophy Club Byron Nelson is off to a rocky start.

— Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of stumble

Verb

Planning a trip between friends is like a game of chess, between coordinating schedules, budgets and other logistics that can drag on, no matter how fun the trip sounds.

— Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
Any attempt to walk him ended with me dragged across the asphalt behind his drumstick legs.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of drag

Verb

The filmmaker has likened his perspective in this project to that of Dorothy’s dog Toto in The Wizard of Oz, alert to the shuffling feet beneath the curtain rather than being bamboozled by the shyster title character’s techno showmanship.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
Not much else changed in Class 5A, besides Azle and Arlington Seguin shuffling down two spots with Week 2 losses.

— Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of shuffle

Verb

Similarly, advertisers strive to prevent their ads from appearing next to low-quality content.

— Roman Vrublivskyi, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Till is a member of the Firekeeper Alliance, which has close ties with the festival, and strives to decrease the suicide rate among indigenous youths through teaching them about heavy metal.

— Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of strive

Verb

Church bells, owl hoots and sprinklers keeping the grass hydrated during this dry spell fill the space between the occasional motor trudging along a main road devoid of commotion.

— Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Die-hards like my pals trudged on, buoyed by generational talent Mike Trout and the occasional flash-in-the-pan prospect.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of trudge

Verb

In fact, agents are better equipped to do this than LLMs, as they can be configured more accurately to crawl certain sites or sources and therefore return more accurate results.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Their mother had crawled, wounded, on the floor before the brothers fired a final, fatal blast.

— James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of crawl

Verb

Andersen in particular has struggled with such an aggressive role, where recovery pace and stomping channel defending are required to keep the shape.

— Thom Harris, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Even when stomped into the mud by a 17,500-pound apex predator, dinosaur footprints rarely last long enough to fossilize over millions of years.

— Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 9 Sep. 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 11 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of plod

verb

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