1
as in labored
to devote serious and sustained effort
plodded night and day to get the assignment done
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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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In Season 1, the publication of Lee’s latest exposé – a deep dive into the powerful Washberg family – is immediately followed by the suspicious suicide of Dale Washberg (Tim Blake Nelson), and Lee knows he’s stumbled onto something big.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
11 Mar. 2026
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But the Illini stumbled by losing four of six after that before winning their final two against bottom-dwellers Oregon and Maryland.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
10 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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Alcantara struggled in his World Baseball Classic debut three years ago for his native Dominican Republic, which didn’t advance out of pool play that year.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
12 Mar. 2026
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The 30-year-old offensive tackle — who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent ahead of the 2019 season — was brought to Charlotte in 2024 as a reserve option at tackle for the Panthers, who were interested in bolstering an offensive line that struggled mightily the year before.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
12 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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Three weeks later, Jalloh allegedly assaulted an older male and stomped his head into the ground.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Mar. 2026
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This wasn’t the three-time Cy Young Award version of this man who stomped through their clubhouse doors this week.—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plodded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plodded. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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