mow

¹

[ moh ]

verb (used with object)

, mowed, mowed or mown, mow·ing.

1. to cut down (grass, grain, etc.) with a scythe or a machine.
2. to cut grass, grain, etc., from:

   to mow the lawn.

verb (used without object)

, mowed, mowed or mown, mow·ing.

1. to cut down grass, grain, etc.

verb phrase

1. 1. to destroy or kill indiscriminately or in great numbers, as troops in battle.
   2. to defeat, overwhelm, or overcome:

      The team mowed down its first four opponents.

   3. to knock down.

mow

²

[ mou ]

noun

1. a heap or pile of hay or of sheaves of grain in a barn.
2. the place in a barn where hay, sheaves of grain, etc., are stored.

verb (used with object)

1. Chiefly Northern and North Midland U.S. to store (hay) in a barn.

mow

³

or mowe

[ mou, moh ]

noun

1. a wry or derisive grimace.

verb (used without object)

, mowed, mow·ing.

1. to make mows, mouths, or grimaces.

mow

¹

/ maʊ /

noun

1. the part of a barn where hay, straw, etc, is stored
2. the hay, straw, etc, stored

mow

²

/ məʊ /

verb

1. to cut down (grass, crops, etc) with a hand implement or machine
2. tr to cut the growing vegetation of (a field, lawn, etc)

mow

³

/ maʊ /

noun

1. an archaic word for grimace

Derived Forms

• ˈmower, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of mow¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English mowen, mouwen “to stack hay or grain,” Old English māwan “to mow;” cognate with Old Frisian mīa, German mähen

Origin of mow²

First recorded before 900; Middle English mow(e), mou, moghe, Old English mūga, mūha, mūwa “a heap or stack of grain”; cognate with Old Norse mūgi “swath”

Origin of mow³

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English moue, mouwe, mouhe, from Middle French moue “lip, pout,” Old French möe, from Frankish; akin to Middle Dutch mouwe “protruding lip”

Word History and Origins

Origin of mow¹

Old English mūwa; compare Old Norse mūgr heap, Greek mukōn

Origin of mow²

Old English māwan; related to Old High German māen, Middle Dutch maeyen to mow, Latin metere to reap, Welsh medi

Origin of mow³

C14: from Old French moe a pout, or Middle Dutch mouwe

Example Sentences

Though it would mow your lawn at International Space Station orbital speed—17,000 mph.

From The Daily Beast

It entailed deploying the Israeli army into Palestinian refugee camps to “mow the grass.”

From The Daily Beast

I would mow the lawn and take out the trash; I was making my own fishing lures.

From The Daily Beast

No, these are clothes that a man could well mow his lawn in.

From The Daily Beast

If their lives were made into horror movies, that rampaging little pink toadstool would mow them down every time.

From The Daily Beast

So Humphrey continued to mow and make hay, while Edward and Jacob went out for venison.

From Project Gutenberg

June arrived, and it was time to mow down grass to make into hay for the winter, and Jacob had two scythes.

From Project Gutenberg

And when thou hast been praised, O Rudra, be gracious to him who magnifies thee, and let thy armies mow down others than us!

From Project Gutenberg

Men who had spent many a rainy day in the hay-mow, gambling, knew that he had played poker.

From Project Gutenberg

If-itty-teshi-mow Jays Haddee ny up-plo-now-shi-buh nays;ha!

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• shear
• trim