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”

Example Sentences

People were heading home from work, mowing, playing in their yards.

From Literature

They include brisk walking, riding a bike, playing tennis, dancing, hiking or mowing the lawn.

From BBC

Boaz ran, properly ran, narrowly avoiding mowing down the gaggle of girls as he went.

From Literature

Now with a young family, everyday tasks like mowing the lawn were accompanied by excruciating pain.

From BBC

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

Related Words

• shear
• trim