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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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)

---

mow ² British  

/ maʊ /

noun

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

2. the hay, straw, etc, stored

---

mow ³ British  

/ maʊ /

noun

1. an archaic word for grimace

---

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

"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

We know when it is time to mow the lawn and are annoyed when rain delays us a day or two.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025

If you don’t mow your lawn, the city will give you a notice, and then mow it for you, attaching the cost to your water bill.

From Slate • Oct. 22, 2025

I’d watch him mow our lawn in the high heat of summer in a pair of wing tips, suspenders, and a thin-brimmed fedora, the sleeves of his dress shirt carefully rolled up.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• shear
• trim