plough

[ plou ]

/ plaʊ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR plough ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, verb (used with or without object) Chiefly British.

plow.

Nearby words

Related formsun·ploughed, adjective

Definition for plough (2 of 2)

plow

[ plou ]

/ plaʊ /

noun

an agricultural implement used for cutting, lifting, turning over, and partly pulverizing soil.

any of various implements resembling or suggesting this, as a kind of plane for cutting grooves or a contrivance for clearing away snow from a road or track.

Type Founding. (formerly) an instrument for cutting the groove in the foot of type.

Bookbinding. a device for trimming the edges of the leaves by hand.

(initial capital letter) Astronomy.

the constellation Ursa Major.
the Big Dipper.

verb (used with object)

to turn up (soil) with a plow.

to make (a furrow) with a plow.

to tear up, cut into, or make a furrow, groove, etc. in (a surface) with or as if with a plow (often followed by up): The tractor plowed up an acre of trees.

to clear by the use of a plow, especially a snowplow (sometimes followed by out): The city's work crews were busily plowing the streets after the blizzard.

to invest, as capital (often followed by into): to plow several hundred million into developing new oil fields.

to reinvest or reutilize (usually followed by back): to plow profits back into new plants and equipment.

(of a ship, boat, animal, etc.)

to cleave the surface of (the water): beavers plowing the pond.
to make (a way) or follow (a course) in this manner: The yacht plowed an easterly course through the choppy Atlantic.

Slang: Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse with.

verb (used without object)

to till the soil or work with a plow.

to take plowing in a specified way: land that plows easily.

to move forcefully through something in the manner of a plow (often followed by through, into, along, etc.): The cop plowed through the crowd, chasing after the thief. The car plowed into our house.

to proceed in a slow, laborious, and steady manner (often followed by through): The researcher plowed through a pile of reports.

to move through water by cleaving the surface: a ship plowing through a turbulent sea.

Verb Phrases

plow under,

to bury under soil by plowing.
to cause to disappear; force out of existence; overwhelm: Many mom-and-pop groceries have been plowed under by the big chain stores.

Also especially British, plough.

Origin of plow

before 1100; Middle English plouh, plugh(e), plough(e), Old English plōh; cognate with German Pflug plow

Related forms

plow·a·ble, adjectiveplow·a·bil·i·ty, nounplow·er, nouno·ver·plow, verb

re·plow, verb (used with object), re·plowed, re·plow·ing.sub·plow, nounsub·plow, verbun·plow·a·ble, adjectiveun·plowed, adjectivewell-plowed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for plough

I order a swing-top bottle of German beer, and then Erik and I plough through a couple liters of red wine.
Exploring the Darker Side of James Joyce’s Trieste|Jeff Campagna|January 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Ass was also used for agriculture, and was employed in the plough, as we find from many passages.
Bible Animals;|J. G. Wood
The same individuals who in Spain would have followed the plough, in the colonies carry out great undertakings.
The Former Philippines thru Foreign Eyes|Toms de Comyn
But on the sites of the old camping grounds the plough share still turns up relics that carry us back to the “stone age.”
Glimpses of the Past|W. O. Raymond

She and Claes tilled their field together, yoking themselves like oxen to the plough.
The Legend of Ulenspiegel|Charles de Coster
One of them described a circle round the thorn, within which the plough should not go.
The Fairy Mythology|Thomas Keightley

British Dictionary definitions for plough (1 of 3)

plough

esp US plow

/ (plaʊ) /

noun

an agricultural implement with sharp blades, attached to a horse, tractor, etc, for cutting or turning over the earth

any of various similar implements, such as a device for clearing snow

a plane with a narrow blade for cutting grooves in wood

(in agriculture) ploughed land

put one's hand to the plough to begin or undertake a task

verb

to till (the soil) with a plough

to make (furrows or grooves) in (something) with or as if with a plough

(when intr, usually foll by through) to move (through something) in the manner of a ploughthe ship ploughed the water

(intr foll by through) to work at slowly or perseveringly

(intr; foll by into or through) (of a vehicle) to run uncontrollably into something in its paththe plane ploughed into the cottage roof

(tr; foll by in, up, under, etc) to turn over (a growing crop, manure, etc) into the earth with a plough

(intr) British slang to fail an examination

Derived Formsplougher or esp US plower, noun

Word Origin for plough

Old English plōg plough land; related to Old Norse plogr, Old High German pfluoc

British Dictionary definitions for plough (2 of 3)

Plough

/ (plaʊ) /

noun

the Plough the group of the seven brightest stars in the constellation Ursa MajorAlso known as: Charles's Wain Usual US name: the Big Dipper

British Dictionary definitions for plough (3 of 3)

plow

/ (plaʊ) /

noun, verb

the usual US spelling of plough

Derived Formsplower, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for plough (1 of 3)

plough

alternative spelling of plow. Related: Ploughed; ploughing.

Word Origin and History for plough (1 of 3)

plow

late Old English plog, ploh "plow; plowland" (a measure of land equal to what a yoke of oxen could plow in a day), possibly from a Scandinavian source (cf. Old Norse plogr "plow," Swedish and Danish plog), from Proto-Germanic *plogo- (cf. Old Saxon plog, Old Frisian ploch "plow," Middle Low German ploch, Middle Dutch ploech, Dutch ploeg, Old High German pfluog, German Pflug), a late word in Germanic, of uncertain origin. Old Church Slavonic plugu, Lithuanian plugas "plow" are Germanic loan-words, as probably is Latin plovus, plovum "plow," a word said by Pliny to be of Rhaetian origin.

Replaced Old English sulh, cognate with Latin sulcus "furrow." As a name for the star pattern also known as the Big Dipper or Charles's Wain, it is attested by early 15c., perhaps early 14c. The three "handle" stars (in the Dipper configuration) generally are seen as the team of oxen pulling the plow, though sometimes they are the handle.

Word Origin and History for plough (2 of 3)

plow

late 14c., from plow (n.). Transferred sense from 1580s. Related: Plowed; plowing.

plough

noun, verb (used with or without object) Chiefly British.

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Nearby words

Definition for plough (2 of 2)

plow

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Verb Phrases

Origin of plow

Examples from the Web for plough

British Dictionary definitions for plough (1 of 3)

plough

esp US plow

noun

verb

Word Origin for plough

British Dictionary definitions for plough (2 of 3)

Plough

noun

British Dictionary definitions for plough (3 of 3)

plow

noun, verb

Word Origin and History for plough (1 of 3)

plough

Word Origin and History for plough (1 of 3)

plow

Word Origin and History for plough (2 of 3)

plow