1
as in laborer
a person who does very hard or dull work
worked like a drudge at a low-paying job that had few benefits
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in drudgery
very hard or unpleasant work
it took hours of pure drudge to sort through the junk in the basement
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to labor
to devote serious and sustained effort
factory workers who must drudge all day at repetitive tasks
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 drudge
Paul Taylor, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
Freed from drudge work, these workers should be empowered to focus on more creative tasks and problem-solving.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 7 Aug. 2024
Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN, 3 Mar. 2023
While the House drudged through a partisan back-and-forth, top Republicans and Democrats in the Senate hatched a deal.
—Andrew Oxford, azcentral, 24 Mar. 2020
See All Example Sentences for drudge
Noun
But for those who experienced the desperate, dismal drudge of Forest’s three seasons in League One, the third tier of English football, from 2005-08 — and visits to clubs including Yeovil, Carlisle, Tranmere and Hartlepool — there has been a long wait for moments like this.
—Paul Taylor, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
Freed from drudge work, these workers should be empowered to focus on more creative tasks and problem-solving.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 7 Aug. 2024
Verb
Firefighters are responding to homes using snowcats and often drudging in by foot with shovels and hoses and digging hydrants out of the snow to extinguish flames, Munsey said.
—Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN, 3 Mar. 2023
While the House drudged through a partisan back-and-forth, top Republicans and Democrats in the Senate hatched a deal.
—Andrew Oxford, azcentral, 24 Mar. 2020
See All Example Sentences for drudge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drudge
Noun
-
The three of them crammed into a single room in a small blue house full of Spanish-speaking laborers.—
ProPublica,
ProPublica,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Its origins trace back to the 19th century, when the mondine sang it—female laborers in Northern Italy's rice paddies—protesting brutal working conditions and lost youth.—
Amanda Castro
Joshua Rhett Miller,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Almost everyone has accepted the idea that drudgery is par for the course at work.—
Shani Harmon,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Treating cooking like drudgery—another chore to perform—will likely not inspire them to adopt this crucial life skill, one that seems to be going by the wayside in the era of GrubHub and DoorDash.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
At Villa Park, his frailty was epic, defiant, even as his bandmates labored drastically to summon the power of 50 years earlier.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025
-
While such a scenario sounds potentially maudlin and manipulative, Lucero — who wrote the film from a personal place — never allows that to happen by making the characters complex and flawed, and laboring under real-life issues.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Rural farmers could receive payments, urban workers could send money home and millions joined the formal economy for the first time.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
It’s gotten so bad that, in one of the largest H-2A criminal cases ever, a federal judge described the abuse of these workers as a form of modern-day slavery.—
Max Blau,
ProPublica,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Republicans were unfazed by Democrats threatening to withhold their votes, accusing them of hypocrisy for condemning GOP efforts to win policy concessions in past funding battles.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Jackie Young made 4-of-6 from the 3-point line as part of her efforts, finishing with 18 points, seven assists, and three steals, with Jewell Loyd (14 points) and Dana Evans (13 points) contributing well off the bench.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Traditional data lakes can store raw data at scale but lack quality controls, while warehouses enforce structure but struggle with unstructured or fast changing data.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Almost half of those who abided by boundaries (45%) reported low burnout, compared to 6% of those who struggled to do so.—
Samantha Dewalt,
Fortune,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
His friendship and courageous toil for the soul of America always spurred me to do more—for our nation and for the kingdom.—
Brooke L. Rollins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
-
In a talent market where burnout is high and retention is difficult, offering developers tools that amplify their creativity and reduce toil is a competitive advantage.—
Paul Kovalenko,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Chronic striving has its downsides, though.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
11 Sep. 2025
-
When multiple businesses strive to outdo each other, the result is better products, improved services and more choices for consumers.—
Levi King,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drudge. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share