Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Showing results for trudge. Search instead for trudg.
Definitions
Trivia Time
What might be described as a trudge?

trudge

[truhj] / trʌdʒ /


Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for trudge?
Trudge means to walk heavily, wearily, or with difficulty. Close synonyms include plod, tramp, lumber, and slog. The word schlep is sometimes used similarly, but it usually implies that something is being carried. Trudge can also be used as a noun meaning a long, difficult, tiring walk. Slog and tramp can also be used this way. Other synonyms for this sense are the noun use of traipse and the more figurative senses of hike and trek.
What is the opposite (antonym) of trudge?
Trudge usually implies difficulty and tiredness. Some words that suggest the opposite—walking lightly or easily—are patter, tiptoe, and the figurative use of glide.
Where does trudge come from?
The origin of trudge is uncertain. It could be a blending of the words tread and drudge. There is no strong evidence for the popular theory that claims that it comes from a word in multiple Scandinavian languages that sounds similar to trudge and means “to walk using snowshoes.”
How do you use trudge in a sentence?
Trudge is used when someone is walking laboriously or in a way that shows exhaustion or difficulty. Here are some examples of trudge in a sentence:
  • The kids just trudged upstairs to bed.
  • We were trudging through the muddy field, hoping to find our way back to the trail. 
  • The walk up the hill to the old church is a real trudge.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

We trudge through entire chapters bearing names like “The Sea and the Desert” or “The Beach Again” without meeting another living soul.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026

Analysts have pointed to a few reasons they believe stocks are set to trudge higher into New Year’s Day.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 21, 2025

“Although almost all of those still kind of trudge along in some state or another.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 26, 2025

The rain is incessant as we trudge past the trees and through the long grass and into their habitat.

From BBC ● May 28, 2024

He was about to trudge on when a familiar flash of red caught his eye.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

On a cold November morning, designer Isaac Mizrahi gets up, leaves his apartment, and trudges to the corner newsstand to pick up a copy of Women’s Wear Daily.

From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026

In a country better known for industrial farming, highly processed food and suspiciously long-lasting bread, Chuck Childers rises before dawn and trudges off to operate one of America's oldest functioning gristmills.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

For now, Zombie LIV trudges on at a tournament in Mexico City that neither you or I are watching.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

As the film trudges from his hospice bed to his youth, we’ll come to see that the doomed townsfolk have the same faces and mannerisms of people Chuck knew as a child.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2025

He trudges off across the square and I look at Peeta.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

Pedestrians in plastic rain ponchos trudged through murky floodwaters in Bangkok's east -- knee-deep in some areas of a grocery store parking lot -- floating their belongings in plastic tubs alongside them, AFP journalists saw.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

Half-time in Houston and Brazil's players trudged off knowing what the mood would be back home.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

Worn down, he muted the show, handed it over to another host and trudged up the stairs to his office to do the math manually.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026

“This is the tragedy of Karbala,” the crowd responded as the procession trudged through Nabatieh’s central district, pulverized after weeks of intense Israeli strikes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026

The woman trudged back down the aisle to the meat counter.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

Separately, Cubans are suffering through hot, sleepless nights and trudging through exhaustion and hunger by day.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

For all the times that feeding yourself feels like trudging through a fog of obligation, sometimes a craving arrives fully formed, as if it’s been plotting in the background.

From Salon ● Nov. 12, 2025

Johnson was dismissed in the 55th minute after clattering into Lopez, a needless challenge that initially earned a yellow card from Erik Lambrechts before VAR sent him trudging to the dressing room.

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2025

And, after George Springer grounded into a fielder’s choice, brought Roberts trudging back out to the mound.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2025

We were trudging home after getting off the school bus.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam




Vocabulary lists containing trudge


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember new words for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com