1
as in labored
to devote serious and sustained effort
plodded night and day to get the assignment done
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stumbled
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
oxen plodding through deep mud
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3
as in dragged
to move slowly
plodded reluctantly off to work
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4
as in shuffled
to move heavily or clumsily
wayfarers plodding across the sandy wastes
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of plodded
Minnesota’s defense has been unreliable lately, but Wisconsin’s offense has plodded most of the year.
—
Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 28 Nov. 2025
For months, the two initiatives plodded along, with photo ops and declarations of good will.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
The Demon Deacons coach ran towards Belichick while removing his hat as the six-time Super Bowl champion coach plodded his way across the field for a blow-by handshake.
—Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plodded
Verb
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The team labored in home losses to Houston and the Los Angeles Chargers, with Mahomes ultimately suffering a season-ending ACL injury in the fourth quarter of that setback against the Chargers.—
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The administration has labored to frame the use of the military in Venezuela as a law enforcement action, since Maduro had outstanding warrants for his arrest in the United States.—
Verb
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Naumov and Torgashev moved onto the podium after several other contenders stumbled Saturday.—
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On New Year’s Eve, 1962, Weir stumbled upon Dana Morgan’s Music Store in Palo Alto, where Jerry Garcia taught guitar.—
Verb
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Sure enough, Hill took a short swing pass, collided with a would-be Georgetown tackler around the 10-yard line, and dragged three Eagles forward before falling on the pylon for a touchdown.—
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In the June incident, Ross broke the window of a car when the driver refused to exit the vehicle and then found himself being dragged at least 50 yards when the driver hit the gas.—
Verb
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Empty boxes were stacked along a side wall in the locker room as players shuffled in and out to pack up a season’s worth of shirts and jerseys and cleats and memorabilia.—
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First, the sophomore shuffled back into coverage after showing A-gap pressure to intercept a Bryce Underwood pass over the middle of the field, ending a key fourth-quarter drive.—
Verb
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When one of Adam Burkhammer's foster children struggled with hyperactivity, the West Virginia legislator and his wife decided to alter their diet and remove any foods that contained synthetic dyes.—
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Gilgeous-Alexander -- one of only two players in the NBA averaging 30-plus points (with the Lakers’ Luka Doncic) -- struggled against the Heat’s swarming defense early, shooting 1 for 7 in a three-point first quarter and going to the half with 11.—
Verb
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This was the type of performance to test any dry January resolutions among supporters, who trudged away from Hill Dickinson Stadium in the sleet on Sunday having watched their team dominated and picked apart.—
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That means that the bank can finally sell the land, which has been in limbo while the court case trudged on, to be redeveloped.—
Verb
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One team member crawled inside and fired paintballs filled with vegetable oil, wildlife organization BEAR League told Fox News Digital on Thursday.—
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Scott’s almost-every-snap status has largely crawled under the radar this season.—
Verb
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Jenkins brutally stomped and punched Coto, who was severely injured and put on life support.—
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The disarmingly handsome comic adopted the delivery of a smarmy newsman and deadpanned a joke about the hatching of a baby sandpiper, a triumph for the zoo where it was born, until the bird was stomped to death by a baby hippo born a day earlier.—
Cite this Entry
“Plodded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plodded. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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