plough

[[t]pla͟ʊ[/t]]

ploughs, ploughing, ploughed

(in AM, use plow)

1) N-COUNT A plough is a large farming tool with sharp blades which is pulled across the soil to turn it over, usually before seeds are planted.

→ See also snowplough

2) VERB When someone ploughs an area of land, they turn over the soil using a plough.

[V n] They ploughed nearly 100,000 acres of virgin moorland.

[V-ed] ...a carefully ploughed field.

Derived words:

ploughing N-UNCOUNT

In Roman times November was a month of hard work in ploughing and sowing.

3) PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v If an area of land is under the plough, it is used for growing crops. If land is brought or put under the plough, it is ploughed for the first time and is then used for growing crops.

There was not one inch of soil that was not under the plough.

...as we put more and more wilderness under the plough.

4) to plough a lonely furrow → see furrow

Phrasal Verbs:

- plough back

- plough into

- plough on

- plough through

- plough up