Meaning & use
a plow
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A farm tool with a heavy blade that turns over soil before seeds are planted.
Grammar: Countable: you can say a plow, the plow, or plows.
Patterns
- a plow
- use a plow
- pull a plow
The farmer attached a plow to the back of his tractor.
In spring, they use a plow to break up the hard ground.
The old plow was rusty but still worked.
nouncountable
A snow-clearing vehicle or device with a wide blade at the front.
Grammar: Often used in phrases like snowplow or plow truck.
Patterns
- a snow plow
- a plow truck
- clear snow with a plow
After the blizzard, a plow came down our street at dawn.
The city sent out every plow it had to clear the main roads.
He drives a plow in winter and a delivery truck in summer.
Word forms
| plural | plows |
|---|
Common combinations
- snow plow
- The snow plow pushed the heavy snow to the side of the road.
- plow the field
- They plow the field in early spring.
- plow through
- She had to plow through a lot of paperwork.
- plow back
- The company plans to plow back its profits into new equipment.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tiller
- A tiller is a smaller machine or tool for loosening soil, not a full plow.
Word family
Commonly confused: a plow or plough?
a plow vs plough
This is the British spelling of the same word.
Practice
Which sentence uses "a plow" correctly?
Choose one answer.
A plow is a tool for turning soil, so it fits farming. The other options use "a plow" in contexts where it makes no sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a plow”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.