plods

verb

present tense third-person singular of plod
1
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
2
as in stumbles
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually oxen plodding through deep mud

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

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4
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
  1. strives
  2. stumbles
  3. drags
  4. shuffles
  5. struggles
  6. trudges
  7. crawls
  8. stomps
Verb
  • At the time, the organization, which typically strives to have four days worth of blood on hand, only had two, according to Kristin Connor, Vitalant’s northern California communications manager.
    — Velvet Wu July 29, Sacbee.com, 29 July 2026
  • China is closing the satellite gap with the US, as Beijing strives to supplant Washington as the world’s leading space power.
    — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of strives
Verb
  • So much of what the product promises depends on OpenAI's software side, but the execution stumbles by scattering controls across multiple places.
    — Brian Westover, PC Magazine, 3 Aug. 2026
  • When rule-follower Ellie stumbles upon tomboy Ashley trapped in a Hot Topic at the mall, she becomes swept up into her world.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 29 July 2026
Definition of stumbles
Verb
  • Seconds later, Blanka drags another inmate out of the cage, demonstrating his electric powers.
    — Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 30 July 2026
  • Priscilla screams for her son, but Dutch drags her back to the car.
    — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of drags
Verb
  • On a cloudy-white Sunday morning in June, Joey Phelps shuffles into the familiar back pew of Yeakley Chapel, the small Methodist church that has been a part of his life for nearly 50 years.
    — Harry Bruinius, Christian Science Monitor, 5 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of shuffles
Verb
  • Missile salvos and militia attacks have choked key shipping lanes, damaged Saudi oil facilities and driven up global prices even as fragile diplomacy struggles to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and avert escalation.
    — Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
  • The film follows a young man who struggles to balance his mental problems, medication, and drugs with his musical ambitions.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 30 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
  • Markets do not hold still for a year and a half while your deal crawls through due diligence.
    — Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • Footage of the moment shows Menitoff acting as if nothing is happening as the bug crawls on her.
    — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 16 July 2026
Definition of crawls
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.

Browse Nearby Words

ploddingly
plods
plop
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Cite this Entry

“Plods.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plods. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of plods for Spanish Speakers

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