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
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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
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Recent Examples of drudge
Iain Martin, Forbes, 4 Feb. 2025
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
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
In other words, exactly the type of drudge work that corporates have outsourced for decades to offshore teams from the likes of Accenture, Cognizant and Infosys.
—Iain Martin, Forbes, 4 Feb. 2025
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
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
-
Politicians are borrowing Rehmet’s pro-labor messaging Looking toward the March 3 primary, Rottinghaus said this is the first time in a generation that laborers make up a significant part of the ballot from either party.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Founded in 1952, during a period of employee unrest at Disney, TAG emerged to protect creative workers who were too often dismissed as technicians or low-level laborers.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Perhaps there is a way to acknowledge head-on that recovery is, essentially, drudgery, and to make that compelling onstage.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Your inner lover girl is dying for some time in the sun, for a vacation from your usual drudgeries.—
Steph Koyfman,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
When the novel opens in Florence, in 1557, the body of the painter Jacopo da Pontormo lies in the chapel of San Lorenzo—in front of the frescoes he’d labored over for a decade, with a painter’s chisel stuck in his heart.—
Bekah Waalkes,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Johnson labored through a tender calf, cramping and fatigue.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
At least three people died and nearly two dozen others were injured after a building used as temporary lodgings for workers caught fire early Friday in a suburb of Hungary's capital, authorities said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The warrant for Silva-Parucho, a construction worker with a pending asylum application and valid employment authorization, was therefore invalid, the judge ruled.—
Cristóbal Reyes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The collar will help scientists understand the movement patterns and reproductive behavior of the Sierra Nevada red fox, providing key insights to guide conservation efforts.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The former county clerk in Colorado was convicted of multiple crimes for letting someone access data from a secure voting system in an effort to prove unsubstantiated 2020 election conspiracies.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Engineers have struggled to close the reaction gap between human perception and machine processing without sacrificing accuracy.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Feb. 2026
-
De Meo was recruited from the auto industry, and his experience included turning around the struggling automaker Renault at the start of the decade.—
Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The conceit of narrating a year in one’s life through the toils and sensations of the kitchen is one that many have taken up before.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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Later in the season, after the Bridgerton sons playfully throw shaving foam at each other, a maid is shown scrubbing the floor, the furniture, and the walls, their fun and folly now her toil.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Because Lindsey Vonn’s comeback and crash accomplished the one goal that all sports strive to achieve.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside,
9 Feb. 2026
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Her two oldest boys will be big parts of the men’s team, striving for their first gold since 1980.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drudge. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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