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plough back: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples

B2
UK/plaʊ bæk/US/plaʊ bæk/

Formal, Business

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Quick answer

What does “plough back” mean?

To reinvest profits or earnings back into a business or project.

Audio

Pronunciation

Definition

Meaning and Definition

To reinvest profits or earnings back into a business or project.

To allocate resources or efforts back into the same source for future development or improvement, often in a metaphorical sense.

Dialectal Variation

British vs American Usage

Differences

Spelling: 'plough back' in British English, 'plow back' in American English.

Connotations

Identical in meaning and connotation; both refer to reinvestment.

Frequency

Equally common in both varieties, with spelling being the main distinction.

Grammar

How to Use “plough back” in a Sentence

plough back [object] into [noun phrase]

Vocabulary

Collocations

strong
profitsearnings
medium
moneyresources
weak
fundscapitalrevenue

Examples

Examples of “plough back” in a Sentence

verb

British English

  • The company decided to plough back its annual profits into research and development.
  • They always plough back a portion of their earnings to sustain growth.

American English

  • The firm plans to plow back its surplus into market expansion.
  • We should plow back these funds into community projects.

adjective

British English

  • The ploughedback capital was crucial for innovation.
  • Ploughed-back earnings are often tax-efficient.

American English

  • The plowed-back resources enabled rapid scaling.
  • Plowed-back dividends supported long-term stability.

Usage

Meaning in Context

Business

Common in financial reports, investment discussions, and corporate strategy.

Academic

Used in economics, management studies, and business literature.

Everyday

Rare; typically encountered in business-related conversations or news.

Technical

Specific to finance, accounting, and investment terminology.

Vocabulary

Synonyms of “plough back”

Neutral

reinvest

Vocabulary

Antonyms of “plough back”

distributepay outdivert

Watch out

Common Mistakes When Using “plough back”

  • Using 'plow back' in British English contexts without adapting spelling.
  • Incorrect preposition use, e.g., 'plough back to' instead of 'plough back into'.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, but it is spelled 'plow back' in American English, with identical meaning and usage.

It is primarily a business term, but it can be metaphorically extended to other areas, such as reinvesting time or effort into a project.

The standard preposition is 'into', as in 'plough back profits into the business'.

'Plough back' is a phrasal verb that often implies reinvesting profits back into the same source, while 'reinvest' is more general and can refer to any type of reinvestment.

To reinvest profits or earnings back into a business or project.

Plough back is usually formal, business in register.

Plough back: in British English it is pronounced /plaʊ bæk/, and in American English it is pronounced /plaʊ bæk/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.

Phrases

Idioms & Phrases

  • “plough back the proceeds”

Learning

Memory Aids

Mnemonic

Think of a farmer ploughing a field to prepare for next season's harvest; similarly, ploughing back profits prepares a business for future growth.

Conceptual Metaphor

REINVESTMENT IS CULTIVATION

Practice

Quiz

Fill in the gap
The management decided to the profits into new technology to stay competitive.
Multiple Choice

What is the primary meaning of 'plough back' in business contexts?

plough back: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples | Lingvocore