1
as in strives
to devote serious and sustained effort
plodded night and day to get the assignment done
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stumbles
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
oxen plodding through deep mud
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
4
as in shuffles
to move heavily or clumsily
wayfarers plodding across the sandy wastes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plods
Verb
-
The goalie, who strives to be in the Vezina Trophy conversation year after year and to lead the Wild to a Stanley Cup, loves Minnesota and loves playing for the Wild, in large part because of the defensive structure in front of him.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025 -
Yet Leto never shakes the role’s robotic nature, even as his character strives to become more human, and his acting partners struggle to play off that in a meaningful way.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The trio stumbles upon a crucial piece of evidence - and promptly compromises it.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
-
To summarize, the protagonist, lost in hopeless days, eventually stumbles upon a deserted dance hall.—
Billboard Japan,
Billboard,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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However, the risk of adverse effects grows the longer a shutdown drags on.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
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As the government shutdown drags on, Americans are turning more negative on Congress, according to new Gallup polling.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Gakpo is deeper, and Wirtz pushes forward as the central member of Liverpool’s forward line, while Ekitike shuffles across as the left of the trio.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Because global air travel shuffles millions of people around the world daily, an outbreak of a very contagious disease anywhere can become a threat everywhere.—
Amy E. Stambach,
The Conversation,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The Prince of Darkness died in Birmingham, England, on July 22 at 76 years old, leaving behind a legacy as a legendary heavy metal rock performer who, after years of various headline-worthy antics and struggles with addiction, made his foray into reality TV.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
20 Oct. 2025
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Dane, who revealed in April that he had been diagnosed with ALS, will appear as Matthew in episode 209, a heroic firefighter who struggles to share his ALS diagnosis with his family.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As the decade trudges on, Brian becomes more serious about his work, never losing his soft spot for Margaret but otherwise gaining a sterling reputation as a hard-hitting interview.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
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During interviews for an in-depth Fortune story on KDP published in June, Cofer detailed his strategy for expanding margins and achieving high growth in soft drinks, a field that overall just trudges forward.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Strong, prolonged damaging wind gusts of 40 to 55 mph will continue to lash the coast as the storm crawls north through Monday.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
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Chalamet crawls out of the weird-for-the-sake-of-being-weird chamber and chucks the helmet to the ground, displaying his now shaven head.—
Marci Robin,
Allure,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Mussolini stomps and swirls around, the camera keeping him and his increasingly frenzied supporters in sight.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
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The guy just f****** stomps right on my face.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Plods.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plods. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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