plow Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a farm tool having one or more heavy blades to break the soil and cut a furrow prior to sowing
    plough.
  2. verb to break and turn over earth especially with a plow
    turn; plough.
    • Farmer Jones plowed his east field last week
    • turn the earth in the Spring
  3. verb act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
    handle; deal; cover; treat; address.
    • This book deals with incest
    • The course covered all of Western Civilization
    • The new book treats the history of China
  4. verb move in a way resembling that of a plow cutting into or going through the soil
    plough.
    • The ship plowed through the water

WordNet

Plow, Plough noun (Also<
  • Plow
  • Plough
)
Etymology
OE. plouh, plou, AS. ploh; akin to D. ploeg, G. pflug, OHG. pfluog, pfluoh, Icel. plogr, Sw. plog, Dan. ploug, plov, Russ. plug', Lith. plugas.
Definitions
  1. A well-known implement, drawn by horses, mules, oxen, or other power, for turning up the soil to prepare it for bearing crops; also used to furrow or break up the soil for other purposes; as, the subsoil plow; the draining plow.
    Where fern succeeds ungrateful to the plow. Dryden.
  2. Fig.: Agriculture; husbandry. Johnson.
  3. A carucate of land; a plowland. Obs. Eng.
    Johan, mine eldest son, shall have plowes five. Tale of Gamelyn.
  4. A joiner's plane for making grooves; a grooving plane.
  5. (Bookbinding) An implement for trimming or shaving off the edges of books.
  6. (Astron.) Same as Charles's Wain.
Plow, Plough transitive verb (Also<
  • Plow
  • Plough
)
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Plowed or Ploughed; present participle & verbal noun Plowing or Ploughing
Definitions
  1. To turn up, break up, or trench, with a plow; to till with, or as with, a plow; as, to plow the ground; to plow a field.
  2. To furrow; to make furrows, grooves, or ridges in; to run through, as in sailing.
    Let patient Octavia plow thy visage up With her prepared nails. Shak.
    With speed we plow the watery way. Pope.
  3. (Bookbinding) To trim, or shave off the edges of, as a book or paper, with a plow. See Plow, n., 5.
  4. (Joinery) To cut a groove in, as in a plank, or the edge of a board; especially, a rectangular groove to receive the end of a shelf or tread, the edge of a panel, a tongue, etc.
Plow, Plough intransitive verb (Also<
  • Plow
  • Plough
)
Definitions
  1. To labor with, or as with, a plow; to till or turn up the soil with a plow; to till or turn up the soil with a plow; to prepare the soil or bed for anything. Shak.
    Doth the plowman plow all day to sow ? Isa. xxviii. 24.

Webster 1913