Meaning & use
plowing snow
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Meanings
phrase
The act or process of pushing snow off roads or surfaces using a plow, usually a vehicle with a large blade.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase; often after verbs like 'do' or 'start'.
Patterns
- plowing snow from something
- plowing snow off something
- the plowing of snow
Plowing snow is a tough job in winter.
The city hired extra workers for plowing snow after the storm.
He spent the morning plowing snow from driveways.
verbintransitive
The present participle of 'plow snow', meaning to clear snow by pushing it with a plow.
Grammar: Used in progressive tenses: is plowing snow. Takes an object when needed: plowing snow off the road.
Patterns
- be plowing snow
- plowing snow off something
The truck is plowing snow on the highway.
They were plowing snow all night.
Common combinations
- plowing snow off the road
- The crew is plowing snow off the road.
- plowing snow from driveways
- He earns money by plowing snow from driveways in winter.
- plowing snow all night
- The workers were plowing snow all night after the blizzard.
Synonyms and how they differ
- snow clearing
- More formal and general; can include shoveling or melting, not just plowing.
- snow removal
- Often used in official contexts; includes plowing and other methods.
Word family
Commonly confused: plowing snow or ploughing?
plowing snow vs ploughing
British spelling of 'plowing'; but 'ploughing snow' is not common—use 'plowing snow' in American English.
Practice
After the blizzard, the city workers spent hours ______ snow from the main streets.
Choose one answer.
'Plowing' fits because it means pushing snow with a plow. 'Plotting' means dividing land, 'plodding' means walking heavily, and 'plumbing' means working with pipes.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “plowing snow”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.