as in dormant
not being in a state of use, activity, or employment
the coal mine has been lying fallow since the drop in prices made it unprofitable
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fallow
Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 20 Feb. 2026
Its 2019 and 2022 editions took place in late fall — a move designed to boost tourism and staycations at downtown hotels on what is typically a fallow November weekend.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 10 Apr. 2026
To reduce water use and comply with the groundwater law, Arvin-Edison is starting to buy some farmland and leave the fields fallow.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fallow
Adjective
Amend the soil and leave it fallow.
—Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 20 Feb. 2026
Its 2019 and 2022 editions took place in late fall — a move designed to boost tourism and staycations at downtown hotels on what is typically a fallow November weekend.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
Verb
A week before the meeting, Whorton spoke to water users near Oakley who are planning for a single cutting of hay before leaving fields fallow.
—Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 10 Apr. 2026
To reduce water use and comply with the groundwater law, Arvin-Edison is starting to buy some farmland and leave the fields fallow.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fallow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fallow
Adjective
-
And inflation, which had bedeviled the United States and much of the global economy during the 1970s, was remarkably dormant during Greenspan’s chairmanship, something many economists had not thought could occur for so long a period.—
Paul Wiseman,
Fortune,
22 June 2026
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Some of the microbes may still exist in a dormant state more than 5,000 years after Ötzi's death, as his body sits at the South Tyrol Museum, the experts said.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
22 June 2026
Verb
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Destructive winds in Oklahoma Farther west, a nasty line of thunderstorms from the same system raked through western and central Oklahoma after midnight CT Monday morning.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
22 June 2026
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They might well also be frustrated that Messi stayed on the pitch after his left boot raked the back of Aissa Mandi’s right leg at 1-0.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Adjective
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On off days in the villa, the boys and girls would alternate every other week to split the responsibility.—
Francesca Gariano,
PEOPLE,
18 June 2026
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All six runs in the game came off homers, with Texas' Joc Pederson delivering a two-run shot in the third off rookie Mike Paredes.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
Verb
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The post-op row, however, is proving tough to hoe for a small business owner used to putting in hours well beyond overtime.—
Amy Drew Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 May 2026
-
Somebody hoed the soil and discovered this underneath.—
Sarah Douglas,
ARTnews.com,
5 May 2026
Adjective
-
Detroit fire crews extinguished the fire at the vacant home, and no injuries were reported.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
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Like so many other places in regional Britain, its mines and mills have been replaced by retail and service industry jobs; its local stores now vape shops or vacant altogether.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
18 June 2026
Verb
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The Victorian-style building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and this side of the resort directly fronting Cape Cod Bay is known collectively as The Mansion.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
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Arraez was the only Giants player listed among the top five candidates at a position, or top 10 for outfield, on the update.—
Sean Campbell,
Sacbee.com,
23 June 2026
Adjective
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That’s 10 years of farming around idle pump jacks and tabulating acres damaged by fluid leaks.—
Adriana Pérez,
Chicago Tribune,
22 June 2026
-
Standard charging can slow things down if trucks have to sit idle for too long.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
22 June 2026
Verb
-
Before the big race, the track was harrowed, bringing it to a better and drier racing surface.—
John Cherwa,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2025
-
The research fellow who met me, Birte, was in her forties, and appeared as if she had been harrowed by her work.—
John Ganz,
Harper's Magazine,
22 May 2024
Cite this Entry
“Fallow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fallow. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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