trudge

American

[truhj] / trʌdʒ /

verb (used without object)

trudged, trudging

to walk, especially laboriously or wearily.

to trudge up a long flight of steps.

Synonyms:

tramp

verb (used with object)

trudged, trudging

to walk laboriously or wearily along or over.

He trudged the deserted road for hours.

noun

a laborious or tiring walk; tramp.

trudge British

/ trʌdʒ /

verb

(intr) to walk or plod heavily or wearily
(tr) to pass through or over by trudging

"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

noun

a long tiring walk

"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

Related Words

See pace ¹.

Other Word Forms

trudger noun

Etymology

Origin of trudge

First recorded in 1540–50; perhaps blend of tread and drudge

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The job market continues to trudge along with little hiring and little firing.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

I certainly didn’t want to trudge back out to LaGuardia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

“Although almost all of those still kind of trudge along in some state or another.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 26, 2025

The rain is incessant as we trudge past the trees and through the long grass and into their habitat.

From BBC • May 28, 2024

As I trudge to combat training with a group of other Senior Skulls, I realize Faris has just asked me a question for a third time.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023