mow down

verb

1. (tr, adverb) to kill in large numbers, esp by gunfire

Idioms and Phrases

Destroy in great numbers, especially in battle, as in The machine gun mowed them down as they advanced . [Late 1500s]

Overwhelm, as in He mowed down the opposition with his arguments . This usage, like the first, alludes to mowing , the cutting of grass with a scythe or other implement.

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.

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

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He reconsidered his opinion in 2021, writing for Salon that “Trumpism has become terrifyingly proud of its capacity to mow down democratic norms and resculpt them into steaming piles of excrement.”

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“They can mow down a kelp forest and then actually remain in that ecosystem without a food source,” said Prentice, a marine biologist and study co-author.

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Man who mowed down students with his car, killing teen outside Westlake High, pleads guilty to murder rampage.

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Related Words

• bulldoze 
• demolish 
• destroy 
• dynamite 
• erase 
• extinguish 
• obliterate 
• overthrow 
• scatter 
• smash 
• topple 
• wipe out 
• wreck