1 B2 neutral
To break up or turn over a piece of land with a plough, especially to convert it to cropland.
"They ploughed up the old pasture to plant sunflowers."
separable
plough up
B2 neutral separable transitive
To turn over or churn up soil or a surface using a plough, or to break up a surface by moving heavily across it.
In plain English
To turn soil over with a plough, or to churn up a surface by going across it many times.
What does "plough up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 neutral
To churn up or damage a surface by moving over it repeatedly with heavy vehicles or feet.
"The horses had completely ploughed up the soft ground near the gate."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
A plough turning and breaking the surface of the ground upward.
Actually means
To turn soil over with a plough, or to churn up a surface by going across it many times.
Usage tip
Used literally in farming ('plough up a meadow to create cropland') and figuratively for churning up ground by vehicle traffic ('the trucks ploughed up the grass verge'). Chiefly British English.
Words that pair with "plough up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
field meadow lawn ground pasture turf
How to conjugate "plough up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
plough up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
ploughs up
he/she/it
Past simple
ploughed up
yesterday
Past participle
ploughed up
have + pp
-ing form
ploughing up
continuous
Hear "plough up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "plough up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.