1
as in to struggle
to devote serious and sustained effort
plodded night and day to get the assignment done
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
The buildup of naval assets off and around the coast of Iran is blunt and plodding.
—
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
Main roads throughout the city were largely clear Monday morning, but pedestrians had to plod through snow on some sidewalks and multiple subway lines with above-ground tracks saw delays.
—Charlotte Kramon, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
And while that hasn’t always been by choice (the draft lottery didn’t do them any favors), the Red Wings’ patient, plodding rebuild has been a case study in just how long the process can take if just a couple of elements go wrong.
—Max Bultman, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026
Minnesota’s defense has been unreliable lately, but Wisconsin’s offense has plodded most of the year.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plod
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
Main roads throughout the city were largely clear Monday morning, but pedestrians had to plod through snow on some sidewalks and multiple subway lines with above-ground tracks saw delays.
—Charlotte Kramon, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
And while that hasn’t always been by choice (the draft lottery didn’t do them any favors), the Red Wings’ patient, plodding rebuild has been a case study in just how long the process can take if just a couple of elements go wrong.
—Max Bultman, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026
Minnesota’s defense has been unreliable lately, but Wisconsin’s offense has plodded most of the year.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plod
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plod
Verb
-
More surprisingly, strategies typically seen as beneficiaries of volatility have also struggled.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
18 Mar. 2026
-
The two then struggled over their firearms.—
CBS Atlanta Digital Team,
CBS News,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
As K-pop spurs franchises, copycat spinoffs and big studio blockbusters, the system that propelled K-culture’s rise could stumble if its authenticity starts to waver.—
Dan Bilefsky,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Shopping on Rue La La feels a lot like stumbling across a secret sale, with some of the very best deals on designer goods, including swoon-worthy handbags.—
Jessie Quinn,
StyleCaster,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Petzold dragged his chair a little closer to listen.—
Holden Seidlitz,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
-
O’Brien’s words echoed the taunts that the two had thrown back and forth at each other in an actual Senate hearing that almost ended in a knockdown, drag-out fight.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Stewart eventually shuffled out, commenting on how his bedhead resembled Little Richard’s.—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 2026
-
So what better way to cap all that off than closing out the Oscars — even if the clip played while the audience was shuffling out of the theater and calling their Ubers.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
As a skilled keyboard player, drummer, and vocalist, David consistently pushes himself to new heights, never settling for complacency and always striving to improve.—
Heide Janssen,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Hence, as Mideastern countries have striven to diversify their economies by transforming raw resources into higher value products, fertilizer production has become a major industry.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
His previous book, The Village Idiot (2022), explored the historical reality of the early-twentieth-century School of Paris artists from the dreamlike perspective of the expressionist painter Chaïm Soutine, who trudges beneath the Seine in a diving suit.—
Cathleen Schine,
The New York Review of Books,
19 Mar. 2026
-
The six-member jury, which trudged through several delays and an almost three-week change of venue to Miami, reached a decision after only four hours of deliberations over two days.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Shops at Yale recently announced the return of the New Haven food crawls and have added a date in December, according to a statement.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
18 Mar. 2026
-
On Polymarket’s tab for Bitcoin, a line graph crawls along like a seismograph, showing the price to beat as the total cost fluctuates by hundreds of dollars a second.—
Joe Wilkins Published Mar 18,
Futurism,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Frustration boiled over on the Huskies’ sideline as Hurley stomped his foot and earned a technical foul from referee James Breeding with 12 and a half minutes left in the half.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2026
-
In the span of six days, the Cornhuskers beat rival Creighton at home and stomped Wisconsin and then went to Illinois for their first Big Ten road game.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plod.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plod. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
