1
as in labored
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 stumbled
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
oxen plodding through deep mud
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in dragged
to move slowly
plodded reluctantly off to work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in shuffled
to move heavily or clumsily
wayfarers plodding across the sandy wastes
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of plodded
Minnesota’s defense has been unreliable lately, but Wisconsin’s offense has plodded most of the year.
—
Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 28 Nov. 2025
For months, the two initiatives plodded along, with photo ops and declarations of good will.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
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
Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 28 Nov. 2025
For months, the two initiatives plodded along, with photo ops and declarations of good will.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plodded
Verb
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Irish workers also labored in rail yards and mines in the area.—
Paula Kane,
The Conversation,
13 Mar. 2026
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My fascination extended to gardeners, who voluntarily labored to create something with no hope of permanence.—
Amy Waldman,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Florida stumbled so badly that the Gators fired coach Billy Napier.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Mar. 2026
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And yet Minnesota somehow stumbled into someone who could be much better than that – for effectively none of the cost.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The case dragged on for more than a decade before a landmark 1997 settlement established nationwide minimum standards for the detention of minors.—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
13 Mar. 2026
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Even with the massive emergency release, analysts said that strategic reserves can cover only a fraction of the supply loss if the conflict dragged on.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As children from the synagogue were shuffled to safety, nearby West Bloomfield Schools were under a shelter-in-place order from police.—
John Wisely,
Freep.com,
13 Mar. 2026
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Samson Fellows shuffled in his slippers to a small space heater and flicked it on.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The strike caused an intense fire at the hospital, with footage from local television showing rescue crews combing through the wreckage with flashlights late into the night as firefighters struggled to extinguish the blaze.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
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Both teams struggled in their previous games, though.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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But on this afternoon in late February, attendees have trudged through the gray Manhattan slush to see—and, perhaps, be conscripted by—the boy who lived.—
Eliana Dockterman,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One roach crawled on the three-compartment sink.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2026
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Related groups of animals, such as the ancestors of today’s millipedes, crawled out of the sea a bit earlier than insects did.—
Andrew Coletti,
Popular Science,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
“Plodded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plodded. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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