fallow 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of fallownext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

fallow

2 of 2

verb

as in to rake

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fallow
Adjective
Planned in 1927 as a desirable residential neighborhood, the tract had instead lain fallow for almost 15 years. — Eric Duvall, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2026 The company has about 150 solar projects in its North American portfolio with the bulk of those developments on fallow land, hayfields and former farmland. — Ayurella Horn-Muller, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
District officials say that could force growers to fallow hundreds of thousands of acres. — Jeff St. John, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026 Continuing to cut farm water allocations is on track to fallow a million acres or more of irrigated farmland in the state, causing a devastating loss of jobs and economic productivity. — Edward Ring, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fallow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fallow
  1. dormant
  2. rake
  3. off
  4. hoe
  5. vacant
  6. list
  7. idle
  8. harrow
Adjective
  • Former SpaceX engineers think a long-dormant nuclear reactor experiment is key to meeting the power needs of data centers.
    — Evan Halper, Washington Post, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Hawaii, meanwhile, rightfully earns its place thanks to its dramatic terrain, with 25 active and dormant volcanoes—the most of any state in the study—as well as 543 waterfalls and Mauna Kea, one of the tallest mountain summits in the country.
    — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of dormant
Verb
  • Gatwood hoped to put in a new fence and was raking some rocks and dirt to make the yard smoother.
    — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • From mowing at the right time to raking leaves at the right time, the when is as important as the how.
    — David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of rake
Adjective
  • The strangeness rests on the antique, out-of-time nature of the set dressing, but also in the slightly off color combinations Arnold and his team chose, and in the sense of things being hand-made, injecting the sense of A Presence into the space.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 21 Aug. 2026
  • There have been stretches of the season where scoring enough runs has felt impossible if Bryce Harper or Kyle Schwarber has an off day.
    — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of off
Verb
  • 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
  • The $10 general admission during the Lilac Festival on weekends includes petting zoo, lilac maze, hoe down & jug band shows, lawn games, and lilac viewing.
    — Linda Mcintosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
Definition of hoe
Adjective
  • The work can largely be completed only during the summer, when school buildings are vacant.
    — Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • For now, the billionaire’s penthouse remains vacant, and his basketball court too.
    — Noah Shachtman, Vanity Fair, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of vacant
Verb
  • County records list the church as the owner of the three-acre parcel, which stretches from Brickell Avenue to Biscayne Bay.
    — Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Xbox lists Xbox Play Anywhere, while PS5 lists the game as PS5 Pro Enhanced.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of list
Adjective
  • Ezequiel Duran drove in two runs and Texas (66-66) outhit the AL Central leaders 14-5 to move a half-game ahead of idle Houston and take sole possession of first place in the AL West for the first time since July 30.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
  • When the risk-free rate was near zero, idle cash created significant opportunity cost.
    — Robert Daugherty, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of idle
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
Definition of harrow

Browse Nearby Words

fallouts
fallow
fallowed
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Cite this Entry

“Fallow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fallow. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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