1
: any of various implements for tilling, mixing, or raking
especially
: a tool with a thin flat blade on a long handle used especially for cultivating, weeding, or loosening the earth around plants
2
: backhoe
hoed; hoeing
: to work with a tool with a thin flat blade on a long handle to cultivate, weed, or loosen the earth around plants : to use or work with a hoe (see hoe entry 1) or backhoe
hoeing in the garden all day
1
: to weed, cultivate, or thin (a crop) with a hoe (see hoe entry 1)
hoeing carrots and turnips
2
: to remove (weeds) by hoeing
3
: to dress or cultivate (land) by hoeing
The garden needs to be hoed.
Examples of hoe in a Sentence
Verb
The garden has to be hoed.
She was hoeing in the garden all day.
Recent Examples on the Web
Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 22 June 2025
Plan to sharpen gardening tools, such as high-quality spades, trowels, and hoes, at least once a year.
—Renee Freemon Mulvihill, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Apr. 2025
Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 June 2025
Wayward rhizomes that pop up as new plants can be hoed or chopped.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoe
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Noun
To hand-weed more efficiently, always work when the soil is wet; use a hoe if the soil is dry.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 22 June 2025
Plan to sharpen gardening tools, such as high-quality spades, trowels, and hoes, at least once a year.
—Renee Freemon Mulvihill, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Apr. 2025
Verb
To stay on top of weeds, plan to hand-pull or hoe down weeds early in the season when their root systems are still small, and then spend a few minutes weeding each week.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 June 2025
Wayward rhizomes that pop up as new plants can be hoed or chopped.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoe
Cite this Entry
“Hoe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hoe. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hoe
1 of 2 noun
: a farm or garden tool with a thin flat blade at nearly a right angle to a long handle that is used especially for weeding and loosening the earth
hoe
2 of 2 verb
hoed; hoeing
: to use or work with a hoe
Biographical Definition
Hoe
2 of 2biographical name (2)
Robert 1784–1833 American (English-born) printing-press manufacturer
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