mow

¹ American  

[moh] / moʊ /

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.

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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 American  

[mou] / maʊ /

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.

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verb (used with object)

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

mow ³ American  

[mou, moh] / maʊ, moʊ /

Or mowe

noun

1. a wry or derisive grimace.

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verb (used without object)

mowed, mowing

1. to make mows, mouths, or grimaces.

mow ¹ British  

/ 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)

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mow ² British  

/ maʊ /

noun

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

2. the hay, straw, etc, stored

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mow ³ British  

/ maʊ /

noun

1. an archaic word for grimace

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Other Word Forms

• mower
  noun

Etymology

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”

Explanation

When you clip grass or other plants, you mow it. If you realize your front lawn is taller than your dog, it might be time to mow it. People with grassy lawns usually mow them throughout the growing season, keeping them neatly trimmed and green. Farmers mow some food crops and hay as well, when they're ready to be harvested, although they use different tools to do it, including a curved blade called a scythe. An old-fashioned meaning of mow is "a stack of hay," or "a place where hay is stored."

Example Sentences

This is Le Mow, an annual 12-hour lawn mower race in Wisborough Green, known as the most affordable way to take part in competitive motorsport.

From BBC • Aug. 17, 2025

Mow the grass, rake the leaves and pull any weeds.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 24, 2023

The “No Mow May” movement has steadily grown in popularity since it began in the U.K. back in 2019 as a way to help save pollinators.

From National Geographic • Jul. 20, 2023

In places where property owners observe “No Mow May” — leaving mowers idle until June — irate neighbors have come over with their own machines.

From New York Times • Jul. 4, 2023

Everything depended on the music of the hounds and the various notes which the huntsman could Mow to tell where he was and what he was doing.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Related Words

• shear
• trim