plow

American  

[plau] / plaʊ /

especially British, plough

noun

• plows
  plural

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

2. 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.

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

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

5. (initial capital letter)

   1. the constellation Ursa Major.

   2. the Big Dipper.

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verb (used with object)

• plows,
  present (3rd person singular)
• plowed,
  past participle,  past
• plowing
  present participle

1. to turn up (soil) with a plow.

2. to make (a furrow) with a plow.

3. to tear up, cut into, or make a furrow, groove, etc. in (a surface) with or as if with a plow (often followed byup ).

   The tractor plowed up an acre of trees.

4. to clear by the use of a plow, especially a snowplow (sometimes followed byout ).

   The city's work crews were busily plowing the streets after the blizzard.

5. to invest, as capital (often followed byinto ).

   to plow several hundred million into developing new oil fields.

6. to reinvest or reutilize (usually followed byback ).

   to plow profits back into new plants and equipment.

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

   1. to cleave the surface of (the water).

      beavers plowing the pond.

   2. to make (a way) or follow (a course) in this manner.

      The yacht plowed an easterly course through the choppy Atlantic.

8. Slang: Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse with.

verb (used without object)

• plows,
  present (3rd person singular)
• plowed,
  past participle,  past
• plowing
  present participle

1. to till the soil or work with a plow.

2. to take plowing in a specified way.

   land that plows easily.

3. 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.

4. to proceed in a slow, laborious, and steady manner (often followed bythrough ).

   The researcher plowed through a pile of reports.

5. to move through water by cleaving the surface.

   a ship plowing through a turbulent sea.

verb phrase

1. plow under

   1. to bury under soil by plowing.

   2. to cause to disappear; force out of existence; overwhelm.

      Many mom-and-pop groceries have been plowed under by the big chain stores.

plow British  

/ plaʊ /

noun

1. the usual US spelling of plough

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• plowability
  noun
• plower
  noun
• subplow
  noun
• overplow
  verb
• subplow
  verb
• replow
  verb (used with object)
• plowable
  adjective
• unplowable
  adjective
• unplowed
  adjective
• well-plowed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• plows
  plural

Participles

• plowing
  present
• plowed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• plow
  simple
• plows
  simple
• have plowed
  perfect
• has plowed
  perfect
• am plowing
  progressive
• are plowing
  progressive
• is plowing
  progressive
• have been plowing
  perfect progressive
• has been plowing
  perfect progressive

Past

• plowed
  simple
• had plowed
  perfect
• was plowing
  progressive
• were plowing
  progressive
• had been plowing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will plow
  simple
• will have plowed
  perfect
• will be plowing
  progressive
• will have been plowing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of plow

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

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Explanation

A plow is a large tool used for farming. A farmer drives or pulls a plow across a field to prepare it for planting. The large blades of a plow break up the earth, cutting and turning it so it's loose and ready to be planted with seeds. When you operate a plow, you can say that you plow. Boats can plow through water, too — in fact, anything that moves forcibly forward also plows: a car plows through traffic, and figuratively, a student plows through her homework.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

plow plows plowed plowing

To pay for the condo, we sold a chunk of investments, but we expect to plow money from our home sale back into our portfolio.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026

It turned out farmers had also been dosing their cattle to enable them to plow through the heat of the midday sun.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

Meanwhile, the strength of a brand like “60 Minutes” is its ability to plow through heavy seas emanating from corporate politics—that is, unless overly entitled employees muff it up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

To achieve that, sell some growth stocks and plow the proceeds into value.

From Barron's ● May 28, 2026

Before his sluggish senses could respond, he felt a solid weight plow into him.

From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker

In Providence, a city spokesman told The Providence Journal that more than 300 vehicles had been towed for parking in the way of plows.

From BBC ● Feb. 23, 2026

O’Connor took some heat when 37 of the city’s plows broke down as more than 11 inches of snow buried the city in late January, forcing him to declare a state of emergency.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026

Your third-grader happily plows through a plate of rigatoni with meat sauce, one of the few meals he will eat without protest, blissfully unaware that extra vegetables have been blended in for structural support.

From Salon ● Jan. 31, 2026

Caltrans plows were plowing Interstate 15, the CHP said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2025

Antonio plows with the oxen and a soga, just like my father.

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau

Srour said Gonzaba plowed through the boardwalk and hit his bike, according to the TV station.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

A week or two prior, he said, an out-of-control motorist nearly plowed into the statue of Amelia Earhart that sits next to a library bearing the famous aviator’s name.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

The chances of finding earthquake survivors in Colombia dropped significantly on Friday, four days after the 7.4-magnitude tremor struck, though rescue efforts plowed ahead as hundreds remained missing.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

While tech shares have had big moves in both directions in recent weeks, the Dow has plowed ahead with a steady string of milestones.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

I’d be ninety before I got forty acres plowed.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

If you’re having a good time and not just plowing through the material, that earns you another 20% with the audience.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

Besides developing its own AI model, SpaceX is plowing money into terrestrial computing infrastructure, signing AI deals and working toward launching orbital data centers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Since lettuce has about a 30-day growing cycle, farmers that are plowing their crops back into the ground are weighing whether to replant or dial back.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

And then there’s the annual plowing of millions in DWP surplus dollars into the City Hall piggy bank, which convinces ratepayers they’re being fleeced.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

The sun came out—finally—as I started plowing, and was pleasant and warm on my back.

From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien

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