mow

¹

[moh]

verb (used with object)

mowed, mowed, mown, mowing. 

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, mown, mowing. 

1. to cut down grass, grain, etc.

verb phrase

1. mow down

   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, mowing 

1. to make mows, mouths, or grimaces.

mow

¹

/ 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

²

/ maʊ /

noun

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

2. the hay, straw, etc, stored

mow

³

/ maʊ /

noun

1. an archaic word for grimace

Other Word Forms

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

Origin of mow²

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

Origin of mow³

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

Example Sentences

Berlin remains under vigilant watch, especially since a murderous 2016 jihadist attack at a Christmas market, when a truck mowed down a crowd, killing 12 people.

Read more on Barron's

Robots are starting to do jobs like firefighting, lawn mowing and beach cleaning, among other things.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

So for now, the robots being rolled out in cities are friendly and low-profile—they mow lawns, clean beaches and guide people through buildings, among other things.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

They have mowed down the Cincinnati Reds, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Brewers with ruthless efficiency.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“Roseanne also drives the tractor often, which allows her to mow the lawn. She drives around. She occasionally runs into trees, but just keeps the yard up.”

Read more on MarketWatch

Related Words

• shear 
• trim