fallow

verb

fallowed; fallowing; fallows

transitive verb

: to plow, harrow, and break up (land) without seeding to destroy weeds and conserve soil moisture

Examples of fallow in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Allowing the wheat to fallow — essentially leaving it unused to prep land for the next crop — or planting something unplanned aren't viable options, either. —ABC News, 20 May 2026

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

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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English falwen "to till, let lie fallow," going back to Old English fealgian, derivative of fealh, felg "arable land" — more at fallow entry 1

Note: As suggested by the Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, the Middle English variants felyen, felowen and English dialect felly, would suggest the existence of a Class I weak verb *fielgan, which would seem to match Old High German felgen with the same sense.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing fallow

• fallow deer
• fallow period
• lying fallow

Rhymes for fallow

• acknow
• aglow
• ago
• airglow
• aloe
• altho
• although
• ammo
• backflow
• backhoe
• banjo
• barbeau

Kids Definition

fallow

1 of 3 noun

fal·​low ˈfal-ō 

1

: land for crops allowed to lie idle during the growing season

2

: the tilling of land without sowing it for a season

fallow

2 of 3 verb

: to till (land) without seeding

fallow

3 of 3 adjective

1

: left untilled or unsown

2

: dormant sense 1, inactive