mow
1[ moh ]
/ moʊ /
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verb (used with object), mowed, mowed or mown, mow·ing.
to cut down (grass, grain, etc.) with a scythe or a machine.
to cut grass, grain, etc., from: to mow the lawn.
verb (used without object), mowed, mowed or mown, mow·ing.
to cut down grass, grain, etc.
Verb Phrases
mow down,
- to destroy or kill indiscriminately or in great numbers, as troops in battle.
- to defeat, overwhelm, or overcome: The team mowed down its first four opponents.
- to knock down.
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Origin of mow
1First recorded before 900; Middle English mowen, mouwen “to stack hay or grain,” Old English māwan “to mow;” cognate with Old Frisian mīa, German mähen
Words nearby mow
Definition for mow (2 of 3)
mow2
[ mou ]
/ maʊ /
noun
a heap or pile of hay or of sheaves of grain in a barn.
the place in a barn where hay, sheaves of grain, etc., are stored.
verb (used with object)
Chiefly Northern and North Midland U.S. to store (hay) in a barn.
Origin of mow
2First 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”
Definition for mow (3 of 3)
mow3
or mowe
[ mou, moh ]
/ maʊ, moʊ /
noun
a wry or derisive grimace.
verb (used without object), mowed, mow·ing.
to make mows, mouths, or grimaces.
Origin of mow
3First 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”
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for mow
British Dictionary definitions for mow (1 of 3)
mow1
/ (məʊ) /
verb mows, mowing, mowed, mowed or mown
to cut down (grass, crops, etc) with a hand implement or machine
(tr) to cut the growing vegetation of (a field, lawn, etc)
Derived forms of mow
mower, nounWord Origin for mow
Old English māwan; related to Old High German māen, Middle Dutch maeyen to mow, Latin metere to reap, Welsh medi
British Dictionary definitions for mow (2 of 3)
mow2
/ (maʊ) /
noun
the part of a barn where hay, straw, etc, is stored
the hay, straw, etc, stored
Word Origin for mow
Old English mūwa; compare Old Norse mūgr heap, Greek mukōn
British Dictionary definitions for mow (3 of 3)
Word Origin for mow
C14: from Old French moe a pout, or Middle Dutch mouwe
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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