mow
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
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)
verb phrase
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)
noun
verb (used without object)
verb
-
to cut down (grass, crops, etc) with a hand implement or machine
-
(tr) to cut the growing vegetation of (a field, lawn, etc)
noun
-
the part of a barn where hay, straw, etc, is stored
-
the hay, straw, etc, stored
noun
Other Word Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
No one showed up to mow the field this week, coach Noel Padilla said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
"I just felt bad having to mow in certain areas," Morse said.
From Science Daily ● May 28, 2026
"But if there isn't this conversation and they are going to continue to mow down these efforts, it's really demoralising."
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026
In exchange, "they don't have to mow as often", to ensure the panels function properly, but also, and more importantly, to comply with bushfire prevention regulations.
From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026
It used to have a proper lawn that mom would mow every week, with a sandbox at the back and a small vegetable garden along the side where she grew tomatoes and strawberries.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
He recently posted a photo of his freshly mowed yard online, and the responses help explain the appeal of lawn care among guys with desk jobs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Volunteers who spent hours planting 30,000 bulbs in a Bristol park say they were left in "disbelief" after council workers mowed over them just days later.
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026
“It’s just like when I mowed lawns — let’s seize the day and make it your routine,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2025
Adjessom was a student at Davidson High School, and loved ones describe him as a good-natured and generous teen who mowed his neighbors’ lawns on the weekends.
From Slate ● Oct. 23, 2025
Seabiscuit mowed his stablemate down with incredible speed, running the first eighth in 11 seconds, a quarter in 23, and three eighths in 36.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Did he say anything truly new at this fundraiser, like that he thinks James Talarico is a pretty good guy or that he enjoys wearing dresses when mowing the lawn?
From Slate ● Oct. 10, 2026
Unlike renting, homeownership can come with new responsibilities like mowing the lawn — and new expenses like homeowners association fees.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
In case you’ve forgotten, mowing the lawn was central to Boehner’s everyman image when he was in office.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
For the tourists' benefit, Vlkolinec puts on traditional craft demonstrations, from sewing folk costumes and gingerbread decorating to mowing and haymaking.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
Our neighbor Mr. Spencer was out mowing his lawn and threw a nod in my direction.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
The decline of their natural habitat means curlew often breed in farmers' hayfields where their nests can be destroyed if the grass is mown in May or June, before chicks have had time to fledge.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2024
The green is large and has a large expanse of closely mown turf to the left.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 10, 2023
Opportunities for subtlety, though few and far between, are mown down with theatrical oomph.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2022
Over the years, he recorded the date of flowering from the mown field as well as a similar grass field that was not mown.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
Beyond the laundry room at the back of the house, the lawns rolled away, so smooth and closely mown, the ground itself seemed green rather than planted with grass.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
