plough

plough — noun

1. a farm tool or machine that cuts into the ground and turns the earth over to get

1.nounB2
Definition

a farm tool or machine that cuts into the ground and turns the earth over to get a field ready for planting.

Example

The old plough left long lines across the wet spring field.

leave lines across a field

Two horses pulled the plough while Ahmed walked behind it.

pull a plough; walk behind it

Common collocations
  • horse-drawn plough
  • pull a plough
  • metal plough
  • behind the plough
  • broken plough
Synonyms
  • plow

    American spelling of the same farm tool

  • tiller

    a modern machine for loosening soil, usually smaller and lighter

  • cultivator

    used for lighter soil work between growing plants, not the deep first cut

Grammar Patterns

pull a plough

horse-drawn plough

walk behind the plough

Usage Note

Usually names the soil-cutting tool pulled by animals or attached behind a tractor. American English normally spells this noun 'plow'.

Common Mistakes

The farmer drove the plough to town.
The farmer drove the tractor to town.
a plough is the tool behind the vehicle, not the vehicle itself.
The workers used a plough to carry hay.
The workers used a cart to carry hay.
a plough turns soil; it is not used for moving loads.

2. describing land that people use for growing crops, rather than keeping it only f

2.nounC2
Definition

describing land that people use for growing crops, rather than keeping it only for animals to eat on.

Example

Only half the valley is under the plough; sheep graze on the rest.

fixed phrase: be under the plough

By 1900, most of the flat land near town was under the plough.

Common collocations
  • under the plough
  • put land under the plough
  • land under the plough
Synonyms
  • arable land

    a more technical term for land suitable or used for crops

  • cropland

    a straightforward modern term for land where crops are grown

Antonyms
  • pasture

    land kept for animals to feed on rather than for crops

  • grassland

    land covered with grass, often not used for crop planting

Grammar Patterns

be under the plough

put land under the plough

Usage Note

Almost always appears in the set phrase 'under the plough'. Distinguish from noun/1, which names the tool rather than the land.

Common Mistakes

The cows were grazing on land under the plough.
The cows were grazing on pasture.
'under the plough' describes land used for crops, not grazing land.

3. the British name for the Big Dipper, the seven-star shape that people look for i

3.nounC1
Definition

the British name for the Big Dipper, the seven-star shape that people look for in the northern sky.

Example

On clear winter nights, Grandpa pointed out the Plough above the trees.

proper name with the: the Plough

The children learned to find north by looking for the Plough.

Common collocations
  • the Plough
  • see the Plough
  • point out the Plough
  • find the Plough
Synonyms
  • Big Dipper

    the more widely known international and North American name

  • Charles's Wain

    an older British name for the same group of stars

Grammar Patterns

the Plough

see the Plough

point out the Plough

Usage Note

Mostly British. Used as a name, usually with 'the'; many learners outside Britain know the same star pattern as the Big Dipper.

Common Mistakes

The Plough is the whole of Ursa Major.
The Plough is the seven-star pattern inside Ursa Major.
the name usually refers to the smaller pattern, not the whole constellation.
Idioms

under the plough

idiom

Land that is used for farming crops rather than for raising animals.

The farmer put the field under the plough to grow wheat.

Is this land under the plough or used for grazing cattle?

plough — verb

Word family

  • ploughing
    nounC1
  • ploughman
    nounC2
  • ploughshare
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A 'plough' is the heavy tool used for the first big stage of field work: it cuts into the ground and turns the soil over. A 'harrow' usually comes later, breaking up the rough earth and making the surface smoother. A 'cultivator' is lighter and is often used between rows of growing plants, so it does not suggest the deep turning that a plough does. A 'tiller' is often a smaller motor machine for garden or small-field use, not the large traditional tool pulled by horses or a tractor. So a farmer ploughs a field before planting, harrows it to level the soil, and may use a cultivator later between the young plants.

plough ↗harrowcultivatortiller

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

From late Old English 'plōh', a word for a plow and also for a measure of land worked by one. It comes from Germanic family words related to Dutch 'ploeg' and German 'Pflug'. The noun came first, and the verb grew from it later. The spelling 'plough' became the normal British form, while North American English settled on 'plow'.