1
as in to struggle
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 to stumble
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
oxen plodding through deep mud
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
4
as in to shuffle
to move heavily or clumsily
wayfarers plodding across the sandy wastes
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 plod
The dramatized version simply floats, roils and plods forward as if being tugged dutifully along, ticking off checkpoints along the way.
—
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2025
There are some baffling tonal shifts between goofy sci-fi and high drama and the whole thing just takes too long to get going, spending much of its runtime plodding around on Earth.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 20 Feb. 2025
The sequel to last season’s thrilling run to the Western Conference finals has been plodding, a hard-to-watch mix of turnovers, isolation dribbling and slow pace.
—Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic, 18 Jan. 2025
He can be seen plodding around their kitchen whilst Meghan makes jam, accompanying Prince Harry and Archie at the stables, and enjoying picnics with the Duchess and Lilibet, as well as walks on the beach.
—Riann Phillip, Vogue, 8 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plod
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2025
There are some baffling tonal shifts between goofy sci-fi and high drama and the whole thing just takes too long to get going, spending much of its runtime plodding around on Earth.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 20 Feb. 2025
The sequel to last season’s thrilling run to the Western Conference finals has been plodding, a hard-to-watch mix of turnovers, isolation dribbling and slow pace.
—Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic, 18 Jan. 2025
He can be seen plodding around their kitchen whilst Meghan makes jam, accompanying Prince Harry and Archie at the stables, and enjoying picnics with the Duchess and Lilibet, as well as walks on the beach.
—Riann Phillip, Vogue, 8 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plod
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plod
Verb
-
And their struggling offense is becoming a major concern.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Their economy is struggling, and the export sector has been one of its few bright spots.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Woman Makes 'Creepy' Find In Thrift Store By Alice Gibbs Senior Life and Trends Reporter Newsweek Is A Trust Project Member news article 0 A thrift store shopper from Scotland stumbled on something unexpected in her local store when a beautiful glass paperweight caught her eye.—
Arick Wierson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Apr. 2025
-
Contractors renovating a historic home in Belgium stumbled upon the entrance to a secret tunnel identified by archaeologists as an escape route from World War I.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The longer the trade war drags on, the more likely Washington and Beijing will find other ways to retaliate beyond economics.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Paleontologists used to wonder if some marine reptiles did the same, awkwardly dragging themselves onto beaches to lay eggs rather than birthing their young at sea like whales do.—
Riley Black,
Smithsonian Magazine,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Then, around 200 million years ago, Pangaea began splitting apart, a geological breakup that formed the Atlantic Ocean, and eastern North America shuffled toward its current position on the globe.—
Alexandra Witze,
JSTOR Daily,
24 Apr. 2025
-
The Phillies can shuffle their rotation with the benefit of two upcoming off days.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
If a cell harbors many black morphogens, for example, and a neighboring cell harbors few of them, then the molecules strive to move such that they are distributed as evenly as possible.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
16 Apr. 2025
-
The school could strive for excellence and integrity while doing fewer things.—
Jeannie Suk Gersen,
New Yorker,
15 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
As the somber Fireflies trudge away in the snow, Abby looks disturbed after finally killing Joel.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
-
Thirty-two cameras have been set up across the wilderness of the High Coast region to capture the animals' movements, and millions have already tuned in to watch the moose slowly trudge through Sweden.—
Kirsty Hatcher,
People.com,
16 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Freya crawled on top of her, interrupting the seizure.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
27 Apr. 2025
-
Continue to update your site with new, high-quality blogs, and search engines will more frequently crawl your site.—
Tonia Ryan,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
And in the end, the untouched bread is stomped into the ground.—
Stephanie Gravalese,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Balor stomped Mysterio, seemingly signaling a forthcoming break-up of the two longtime partners.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plod.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plod. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share