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plow through

B2 informal inseparable transitive
In simple words

To push your way through something difficult, like reading a long book or eating a big meal

Literal meaning: To drive a plow through soil or terrain

Meanings

1 B1 neutral

To move through a crowd or physical obstacle with force and determination

"The running back plowed through the defensive line to score the winning touchdown."

Grammar: inseparable
2 B2 idiomatic informal

To read, process, or work through a large amount of material laboriously

"I spent the whole weekend plowing through the legal documents before the meeting on Monday."

Grammar: inseparable
3 B2 idiomatic informal

To eat a large quantity of food steadily and enthusiastically

"The kids plowed through three pizzas before anyone could blink."

Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes

Very versatile — used for physical obstacles, large amounts of food, long texts, or heavy workloads. The image is of a plow pushing relentlessly forward through heavy soil. Very common in informal British and American English.

Commonly used with

paperwork crowd snow backlog report meal book inbox

Forms

Base
plow through
I/you/we/they
3rd person
plows through
he/she/it
Past simple
plowed through
yesterday
Past participle
plowed through
have + pp
-ing form
plowing through
continuous

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