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plough through

B1 neutral inseparable transitive
In simple words

To get through a lot of difficult work or a physical obstacle by pushing hard and not giving up.

Literal meaning: A plough forcing its way through dense soil.

Meanings

1 B1 idiomatic neutral

To work through a large amount of something tedious or difficult with sustained effort.

"I've been ploughing through a hundred applications and I'm not even halfway done."

Grammar: inseparable
2 B1 neutral

To force a way through a physical obstacle or substance with power.

"The icebreaker ploughed through the frozen sea at a steady five knots."

Grammar: inseparable
3 B1 neutral

To crash through something with unstoppable force.

"The vehicle ploughed through the barriers at the entrance."

Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes

Very common in everyday British English. 'Ploughing through a book/pile of work' is extremely frequent. Also used literally for vehicles or ships forcing through obstacles. 'Plow through' in American English.

Commonly used with

paperwork book crowd snow reports emails

Forms

Base
plough through
I/you/we/they
3rd person
ploughs through
he/she/it
Past simple
ploughed through
yesterday
Past participle
ploughed through
have + pp
-ing form
ploughing through
continuous

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