What does plowed mean?
Plowed is the chiefly North American past tense and past participle of plow, as well as an adjective describing land or soil that has been turned over with an agricultural implement. In its basic sense, it refers to the preparation of a field for planting: a farmer plows the ground, leaving furrows and breaking up the surface before sowing seed. The word can also describe forceful movement through difficult material, especially in the phrase plow through, as when someone works through a large report or pushes through deep snow. British English generally spells the corresponding forms plough and ploughed. Plowed is useful because it captures both the physical action of cultivation and the metaphorical image of steadily overcoming obstacles. Its agricultural meaning is concrete and neutral, while its extended meaning conveys persistence, effort, and sometimes an unwillingness to be delayed.
To turn over soil or land with a plow; in the phrase plow through, to move forcefully or persistently through something.
"They plowed through several feet of snow to reach the barn."
The figurative use can convey determination and hard work, but it may also suggest forceful disregard for obstacles.
Having been turned over with a plow; cultivated or prepared by plowing.
"Crows gathered in the freshly plowed field."
This use is common in North American English and is chiefly agricultural.
Plowed describes both a furrow opened in a field and a determined route through a backlog.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does plowed come from?
Plowed is formed from the Middle English word plowe, also written plow, which was inherited from Old English plōw, the Old English word for a plough. The form plough developed as a longstanding British spelling variant, while plow became especially common in American English. The -ed ending is the ordinary English past-tense and past-participle suffix. Cognates include German Pflug and Dutch ploeg, and compounds such as ploughman and ploughshare preserve the same farming root.
Related word forms
How plowed is actually used
The agricultural sense is neutral and factual. Figurative uses such as plow through suggest forceful, determined effort, and may occasionally imply impatience with obstacles or details.
Easily confused with plowed
Plowed and ploughed have the same meaning, but ploughed is the standard British spelling while plowed is chiefly used in American English.