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
This track is a standout on what is generally another great album from him, with features from the legend Olamide and rising voice Qing Madi, among others, and this one layers a classic Afrobeats drum pattern with a plodding groove, letting his voice lead the charge.
—
Heran Mamo, Billboard, 31 Mar. 2025
This might be what the song is supposed to be, but it’s crushed under the weight of the drawling vocals, plodding production, and an unnecessary final key change.
—Kristen S. Hé, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
At the start of this stylish but plodding film, which premiered at SXSW ahead of its March 27 release on Prime Video, the suburban mother loses a pearl earring.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for plod
Heran Mamo, Billboard, 31 Mar. 2025
This might be what the song is supposed to be, but it’s crushed under the weight of the drawling vocals, plodding production, and an unnecessary final key change.
—Kristen S. Hé, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
At the start of this stylish but plodding film, which premiered at SXSW ahead of its March 27 release on Prime Video, the suburban mother loses a pearl earring.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for plod
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plod
Verb
-
That built him a three-shot lead entering Sunday's final round. Midway through his final 18, Scheffler was struggling.—
Kendall Capps,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 May 2025
-
Experts predict an increase in space tourism over the coming decades, potentially accelerating global warming in a world already struggling to combat its effects.—
Sheetal Khedkar Rao,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2025
Verb
-
And then there are those, like Mia, who stumble on their birth families inadvertently.—
Barbara Demick,
New Yorker,
23 May 2025
-
No one stumbled into creating a billion dollar company, gingerly broke a world record, or cautiously planned and lived their peak life.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
Verb
-
Further afield is the prospect of an India-EU FTA, although that process has dragged on for a decade.—
Vasuki Shastry,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
-
That dragged its stock down even though the company also reported a better profit for the latest quarter than expected.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2025
Verb
-
The team then trained three seals–Nick, Luca, and Miro–to shuffle into place in front of a large screen and showed them the simulations.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
29 May 2025
-
When one of the figures is placed at the top of a ramp, the force of gravity causes the toy to walk down to the bottom by shuffling its legs back and forth.—
Ben Coxworth,
New Atlas,
23 May 2025
Verb
-
What Thornton is striving toward, an embrace of generosity, of humanity being able to change what faith and religion even mean, is often moving.—
Ella Kemp,
IndieWire,
23 May 2025
-
Any journey toward elevating procurement performance should begin with a reflection on value, and CPOs must strive to balance supply security with driving cost optimization.—
Matthew Buckingham,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
Verb
-
When the final buzzer sounded on a 124-94 series-clinching victory by the Thunder, the Timberwolves trudged off the court with a stain on an otherwise impressive season.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
-
The founders of Chime trudged into Amino Capital's bare-bones office early one Saturday morning in the summer of 2013, steeling themselves for disappointment.—
Stephen Pastis,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
Verb
-
The woman crawled to her bathroom and pulled the emergency cord, then the facility staff called 911, deputies said.—
Olivia Lloyd,
Sun Sentinel,
22 May 2025
-
Here, 15 of the softest sheets that will convince you that crawling into bed at 9 p.m. is equivalent to self-care.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
16 May 2025
Verb
-
While wearing a mini tuxedo, Lorenzo slowly stomped down the aisle and paused at the puddle of petals.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
People.com,
20 May 2025
-
Boston Haitian community joyfully stomped, danced and marched their way down Blue Hill Ave.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plod.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plod. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share