Meaning & use
a snowplow
Last updated
UK/ə ˈsnəʊplaʊ/
US/ə ˈsnoʊplaʊ/
Meaning
nouncountable
A vehicle or machine with a large blade used to push snow off roads.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a snowplow' or 'snowplows'.
Patterns
- a snowplow clears the road
- drive a snowplow
- send out snowplows
The snowplow came down our street early in the morning.
After the storm, the city sent snowplows to clear the main roads.
We had to wait for the snowplow before we could leave.
Word forms
| plural | snowplows |
|---|
Common combinations
- snowplow driver
- The snowplow driver worked all night.
- snowplow blade
- The snowplow blade scraped the ice off the road.
- send out snowplows
- The town sent out snowplows after the heavy snowfall.
Synonyms and how they differ
- plow
- Plow is the general word for a farming tool or a machine that turns up earth; a snowplow is specifically for moving snow.
Word family
- snowplow verb
- To clear snow with a snowplow, or in skiing, to turn the fronts of the skis inward to slow down.
Commonly confused: a snowplow or snowblower?
a snowplow vs snowblower
A snowblower blows snow away using a fan, while a snowplow pushes snow with a blade.
Practice
What does a snowplow do?
Choose one answer.
A snowplow has a large blade that pushes snow to the side of the road. A snowblower blows snow, and melting or carrying snow away are different methods.
Make it your own
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