PLODS Synonyms: 159 Similar and Opposite Words

plods

verb

present tense third-person singular of plod

as in strives

to devote serious and sustained effort plodded night and day to get the assignment done

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in stumbles

to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually oxen plodding through deep mud

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in drags

to move slowly plodded reluctantly off to work

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in shuffles

to move heavily or clumsily wayfarers plodding across the sandy wastes

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for plods

Verb

Resistance is mounting today, too, in response to AI and data center buildout, even as industrial policy everywhere strives to stimulate its growth.

— Nili Gilbert, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Perusing the menu online provides insight into how truly diverse Sushi Sushi strives to be.

— Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 1 July 2026

Definition of strives

Verb

Yet things truly take a turn one day after Miguel stumbles upon a boy, Felipe (Yago Andreu), chained beneath the old water tank near the witch’s old, run-down house.

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 July 2026
In the first, a quick history tour revisits how bad Minions have been in their quest to find villains to serve, until one group lands in 1920s Hollywood and stumbles into stardom.

— The Week US, TheWeek, 7 July 2026

Definition of stumbles

Verb

This leads to another unfortunate confrontation with a Bowden parent, as Tom drags Cady into the street and beats him up in full view of lookie-loos with phone cameras.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 10 July 2026
Trump speaks to Putin and Zelenskyy Ukraine has stepped up its attacks on Russian oil facilities in recent months, seeking to deplete President Vladimir Putin's war chest as the Kremlin's more than four-year war drags on.

— Sam Meredith, CNBC, 7 July 2026

Definition of drags

Verb

As though on cue, Wardrobe — my beloved, and giant, closet — shuffles over from the corner of my room, the mahogany wood groaning with the effort.

— Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 25 June 2026
As the entire Qatar back line shuffles closer to the goal, Jonathan David drops off towards the penalty spot to receive the cross in space and shoot first time.

— Mark Carey, New York Times, 24 June 2026

Definition of shuffles

Verb

Charles builds their cabin with help from a kind widower and Civil War veteran, John Edwards (Warren Christie), who struggles with alcohol; Edwards’ sometime companion (Rebecca Amzallag) is a fiercely independent bar owner.

— Judy Berman, Time, 9 July 2026
Her performance as Jovie, the department store employee who struggles to get into the Yuletide frame of mind, was her big break.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 8 July 2026

Definition of struggles

Verb

Enola dutifully trudges between clues and possibilities, shuffling through crime scenes and racing around shady spaces, all of this much more paint-by-numbers than connect-the-dots.

— Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 30 June 2026
However, even as the team trudges to a play-in spot rather than a top seed, Green was adamant that the Warriors’ standard of competitiveness cannot change.

— Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026

Definition of trudges

Verb

If anything, the dichotomy between the pop star who prances around Versailles in a sheer nightie and the pop star who stomps onstage in knee-high combat boots feels completely authentic and intentional.

— Chelsey Sanchez, CNN Money, 25 June 2026
Suddenly, the trees part and a Tyrannosaurus rex stomps into view.

— RJ Mackenzie, Popular Science, 11 June 2026

Definition of stomps

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.

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ploddingly

plods

plop

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“Plods.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plods. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of plods

verb

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