What does plough mean?
A plough is a traditional farm implement whose projecting blade, or ploughshare, cuts into the ground and turns the soil before sowing. As a verb, “plough” means to cultivate land in this way, although modern ploughs are often pulled or powered by tractors rather than animals. The word is chiefly British; American English normally uses “plow” for both the implement and the action. “Plough” also has a figurative sense of working steadily through a demanding task, especially a lengthy document or a difficult piece of work. The expression often carries a sense of determined effort, as though the person is steadily forcing a path forward. Although the mechanical plough has largely replaced ploughs drawn by horses, the word remains familiar through farming, historical writing, literary descriptions of rural life, and the traditional name “the Plough” for the seven principal stars of the Big Dipper.
An agricultural implement with a blade or ploughshare used to turn and break up soil before planting.
"The old plough stood against the wall of the barn."
In British English, this may refer to either a traditional implement drawn by animals or a modern tractor-mounted plough.
To cultivate or till land by turning and breaking up the soil with a plough.
"They ploughed the field twice before planting the crop."
Figuratively, it can mean to work steadily and laboriously through a task.
The plural is used for individual agricultural implements.
"Several old ploughs are displayed in the museum."
The Plough is an old name for the seven-star pattern of the Big Dipper, whose shape was said to resemble a plough.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does plough come from?
The word comes from Old English plōh, meaning an agricultural implement used to turn the soil. It developed through Middle English forms such as plouh and plowe before the modern spelling “plough” became established in British English. The word is related to forms in other Germanic languages, including Old Norse plógr and Old Frisian plōch, reflecting a common ancestral word for a plough.
Related word forms
How plough is actually used
As a verb, “plough” can also mean to move through or work through something laboriously, as in “ploughing through a difficult report.” In figurative use, it is less common in American English, where “plow” predominates.
Easily confused with plough
“Plough” is the traditional British spelling, whereas “plow” is the standard spelling in American English.