Plow Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary (original) (raw)
Britannica Dictionary definition of PLOW
[count]
1
:
a piece of farm equipment that is used to dig into and turn over soil especially to prepare the soil for planting
:
used for growing crops
- The amount of local land under the plow is decreasing.
Britannica Dictionary definition of PLOW
1
[+ object]
:
to dig into or break up (dirt, soil, land, etc.) with a plow
- The soil was freshly plowed.
- They used oxen to plow the field.
- Plow the weeds back into the soil. [=use a plow to bury the weeds]
2
chiefly US
:
to use a snowplow to remove snow from a road, parking lot, etc.
[+ object]
- My street hasn't been plowed yet.
- We hired someone to plow the snow from our driveway.
[no object]
- The town won't start plowing until the storm is almost over.
3
:
to move through, over, or across (something) in a forceful and steady way
[+ object]
- a ship/whale plowing the ocean
- They continued to plow their way through the tall grass.
[no object]
— followed by an adverb or preposition
- A series of damaging storms plowed across the state last fall.
- We plowed through the crowd.
4
always followed by an adverb or preposition,
[no object]
:
to do something difficult in a slow or steady way
- She spent several hours plowing through the paperwork on her desk.
plow ahead
[phrasal verb]
:
to continue to do something without being stopped by problems or opposition
- The city is plowing ahead with plans to demolish the building.
1
plow into (someone or something)
:
to crash into (someone or something) usually at a high speed
- The car plowed into the guardrail.
2
plow (money, profits, etc.) into (something)
:
to invest (money, profits, etc.) in (something)
:
to put (money) into (something)
- The company plowed millions of dollars into research.
— often + back
- For the first 10 years, the profits were all plowed back into the company.
:
to continue doing something that is slow and difficult
- I was discouraged, but I plowed on.