plodded

verb

past tense of plod
1
as in labored
to devote serious and sustained effort plodded night and day to get the assignment done

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2
as in stumbled
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually oxen plodding through deep mud

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in dragged
to move slowly plodded reluctantly off to work

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4
as in shuffled
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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plodded
  1. labored
  2. stumbled
  3. dragged
  4. shuffled
  5. struggled
  6. trudged
  7. crawled
  8. stomped
Verb
  • Astros starter Peter Lambert labored through a 25-pitch first inning.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 23 July 2026
  • The former offices of the saltpeter mines, which produced the main ingredients used in gunpowder and fertilizer, evoke the past, when thousands of people labored at processing caliche, a nitrate-bearing rock.
    — Cristina Dorador, The Dial, 14 July 2026
Definition of labored
Verb
  • Fresh from lifting the FIFA Club World Cup and buoyed by optimism around Enzo Maresca’s project, the Blues stumbled to a disappointing 10th-place Premier League finish.
    — Graham Ruthven, New York Times, 31 July 2026
  • The Curiosity rover stumbled on the polygon field while ascending the foothills of a three-mile-high mountain called Mount Sharp, where it’s been roaming since 2014.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 30 July 2026
Definition of stumbled
Verb
  • The public information request process dragged on for several months.
    — Kelsy Mittauer, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • According to Lupo, Boise’s above-average traffic congestion, coupled with a lack of economic diversity, dragged Boise’s score down in this category.
    — Hali Smith July 30, Idaho Statesman, 30 July 2026
Definition of dragged
Verb
  • The Playoff remains parked at 12 teams, and some G6 conferences shuffled teams, now including North Dakota State and Sacramento State.
    — Jason Kirk, New York Times, 31 July 2026
  • Black voters were shuffled around Houston, with much of the previous 9th Congressional District becoming the new 18th District.
    — Rahul Mukherjee, NPR, 23 July 2026
Definition of shuffled
Verb
  • The 17 passengers and crew who lived told investigators everyone survived the landing, but many passengers struggled to locate life vests and the crew had a difficult time pulling out life rafts.
    — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 22 July 2026
  • Brayden Burries, Bucks While most of the vaunted crop of rookie guards from the NCAA ranks struggled, Burries was a glaring exception.
    — John Hollinger, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of struggled
Verb
  • The Phillies and Mets, meanwhile, trudged through tough conditions in New York’s 4-1 road win last night.
    — Chris Branch, New York Times, 17 July 2026
  • Frost trudged through the sand and allowed De Lander, an Australian native, to get in touch with the Atlantic Ocean.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of trudged
Verb
  • Flash flood warnings were then issued again for New York City and nearby states as thunderstorms crawled across the region on Tuesday afternoon and evening.
    — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 23 July 2026
  • Hull testified that Robinson later returned in different clothing, walking with a limp, rolled onto the roof of a building on campus and crawled to the edge of the rooftop around the time the shot was fired.
    — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 10 July 2026
Definition of crawled
Verb
  • Ten members of a Pennsylvania high school football team, including several coaches, face charges after a player was allegedly stomped with cleats, and jabbed in the buttocks with a broomstick.
    — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026
  • Cece got out of bed, put on a pair of fuzzy pink slippers, and stomped to her mother’s office.
    — Jessica Contrera, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
Definition of stomped

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Cite this Entry

“Plodded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plodded. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of plodded for Spanish Speakers

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