plow
/plaʊ/ (bre, ipa) · /plaʊ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈplau̇/ (ame, mw)
plow — noun
1. A heavy farming tool with curved metal blades that a tractor or animal pulls acr
A heavy farming tool with curved metal blades that a tractor or animal pulls across a field to break the earth open before crops are planted.
Gabriel hitched the old plow to his rusty tractor before sunrise.
collocation: hitch a plow to [vehicle]
Two strong horses dragged the wooden plow across Henrik's small wheat field.
passive frame: [animals/vehicles] pull a plow
The plow's curved blade flipped over the dark soil in long rows.
Isabela sharpened the plow's blades each spring before the planting season began.
Modern farms now use giant plows controlled by computers and satellite signals.
- plough
British spelling of the same word
- cultivator
a similar tool, usually lighter, that mainly stirs the soil rather than turning it over
文法句型
pull a plow
drive a plow
用法筆記
American spelling; British English uses 'plough'. Often refers specifically to the farm implement, though the same noun also names some road-clearing machines (see 'snowplow' as a separate compound).
常見錯誤
plow — verb
- plowpresent simple I / you / we / they
- plows3rd person singular
- plowing-ing form
- plowedpast simple
1. To use a heavy bladed tool to dig into a field and roll the earth upside down, u
To use a heavy bladed tool to dig into a field and roll the earth upside down, usually so that seeds can be planted afterwards.
Mert plows the back field every March before he sows his corn.
habitual present + time-frame collocation
The Watanabe family plowed three acres of wet earth by Tuesday afternoon.
transitive: plow + [land amount]
After the harvest, Reema plowed the dead corn stalks back into the soil.
On wet ground a heavy tractor cannot plow without sinking into the mud.
Christopher learned to plow straight rows from his grandfather one summer.
文法句型
plow + field/land
plow under [crop]
用法筆記
Most often transitive with the field, land, or a crop as object. Distinguish from sense 2 (cut through water/snow) and sense 3 (move forcefully through anything) — sense 1 is the literal farming action.
常見錯誤
2. Of a ship, vehicle, or large blade, to push or slice a clear line through water,
Of a ship, vehicle, or large blade, to push or slice a clear line through water, snow, or a similar substance.
The fishing boat plowed the grey waves on its way back to harbor.
transitive: vehicle + plow + [water]
City trucks plowed the main streets twice during the snowstorm last night.
collocation: plow [the streets/roads]
Aoi watched the ferry plow the calm bay as the sun set behind Kobe.
Dario plowed the long driveway clear so the school bus could reach the gate.
A small icebreaker plowed a narrow channel across the frozen river.
文法句型
plow + [water/snow/path]
plow through
用法筆記
Subject is typically a vehicle or vessel; object is the medium being cut (water, snow, a road). Different from sense 3, which is about forceful movement of any kind (often people) through any kind of barrier — sense 2 is specifically about cleaving water or snow.
3. To push, drive, or work your way through something with steady, often tiring eff
To push, drive, or work your way through something with steady, often tiring effort — for example, through a crowd, a stack of homework, or a long book.
Zola plowed through the crowded train station to catch her last train home.
plow through + [crowd/place]
Valentina plowed through twenty exam papers before midnight, sipping cold coffee.
plow through + [stack of work]
The runaway car plowed into a row of trash cans on Pine Street.
Élise plowed on with her thesis even though her eyes ached from reading.
Pim plowed steadily up the snowy hill, one heavy step after another.
- tiptoe
moving carefully and quietly, the opposite of forceful pushing through
文法句型
plow through [obstacle/task]
plow into [something]
用法筆記
Almost always intransitive with 'through', 'into', or 'on'. 'Plow into' often implies an accidental crash; 'plow through' implies determined slow progress. Distinct from sense 2 (where a vehicle physically cuts water or snow) — here the subject can be a person, and the 'obstacle' may be a task or pile of work, not a physical medium.
常見錯誤
4. To put a large amount of money into a business, project, or activity, often hopi
To put a large amount of money into a business, project, or activity, often hoping for a future return — for example, putting all the year's profit back into a small company.
Romi plowed her entire bonus into a small bakery near Tainan station.
plow + [amount] + into + [business]
The city plowed millions into the new subway line over five years.
plow + [large sum] + into + [public project]
Alessia plowed every profit back into her family's tiny olive farm in Puglia.
Investors plowed cash into the startup before its first product was even finished.
Henrik refused to plow more money into a project that had failed twice already.
- withdraw
take money out of a project rather than putting more in
文法句型
plow [money] into [project/business]
plow [profits] back into
用法筆記
Always takes 'into' (or 'back into' for reinvested profits). Subject is the investor; object is the sum of money; the destination follows 'into'. Note the figurative leap from sense 1: just as a farmer turns earth back into a field, an investor turns money back into a business.