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.

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.

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.”

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.