1 B2 neutral
To break up land or soil with a plow, especially land that has not been farmed recently
"They plowed up the old meadow and converted it to arable land for growing vegetables."
separable
plow up
B2 neutral separable transitive
To break up and turn over land with a plow, or to churn up a surface through repeated heavy movement
In plain English
To dig up and turn over soil with a plow, or to rip up a surface by moving heavily over it
What does "plow up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic informal
To churn up or damage a soft surface through heavy, repeated movement
"The horses had completely plowed up the field by the end of the polo match."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To plow a surface upward, breaking and overturning it
Actually means
To dig up and turn over soil with a plow, or to rip up a surface by moving heavily over it
Usage tip
Used literally in farming contexts to describe breaking new ground or previously unused land. Also used informally to describe the way vehicles, feet, or hooves churn up a soft surface like mud or turf. More common in American English.
Words that pair with "plow up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
field meadow lawn turf mud pasture ground
How to conjugate "plow up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
plow up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
plows up
he/she/it
Past simple
plowed up
yesterday
Past participle
plowed up
have + pp
-ing form
plowing up
continuous
Hear "plow up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "plow up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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