plough a lonely furrow
To carry out an action in isolation, or in an original way, without any help or support from others.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He prefers to plough a lonely furrow in his research.”
“She decided to plough a lonely furrow, developing her unique art style without following any current trends.”
“Despite the intense pressure to conform to the group's methodology, the scientist chose to plough a lonely furrow, trusting his own unconventional theories above all else.”
- 01
draw a straight furrow
To live correctly or ethically, without deviating from the right line of duty.
- 02
plough money
To invest money in a project or endeavor, especially to help it succeed or earn more money.
- 03
plough one's way
To make one's way.
- 04
plough the back forty
To engage in sexual intercourse.
- 05
plow on
To continue with a menial, tedious, or time-consuming task.
- 06
plow one's way
Alternative spelling of plough one's way.
- 07
plow the sands
to spend considerable time and effort to do something useless; to waste time
- 08
plow with one's heifer
To have an affair with another man's wife or to deal with the wife in order to obtain something from her husband.
Last updated August 10, 2026