hoe

noun

\ ˈhō

Definition of hoe

(Entry 1 of 4)

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

hoe

verb

hoed; hoeing

Definition of hoe (Entry 2 of 4)

intransitive verb

: 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

transitive verb

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.

Hoe

biographical name (1)

\ ˈhō

Definition of Hoe (Entry 3 of 4)

Richard March 1812–1886 son of Robert Hoe American inventor

Hoe

biographical name (2)

Definition of Hoe (Entry 4 of 4)

Robert 1784–1833 American (English-born) printing-press manufacturer

Other Words from hoe More Example Sentences Learn More about hoe

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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: Noun

That pile might include garden hoes, shoes, bowling balls and pieces of plywood, based on other news reports. — Devin Kelly, Anchorage Daily News, "How recycling works in Anchorage: Most of it ends up in the Lower 48," 7 June 2019 Prevent cracks and crusting of the soil with mulch or going through with a hoe and fluffing up the top couple of inches. — oregonlive.com, "Trial gardens show vegetables can be grown without irrigation," 11 June 2019 Flynn enthusiastically wielded his hoe, planting tree after tree alongside local people who had come to help. — Allyn Stewart, Town & Country, "How Kuki Gallmann Became One of Kenya's Great Protectors," 24 Apr. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Also, readers should know that Apple faces a long, hard row to hoe in getting websites and apps to sign on to this. — Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY, "Apple WWDC 2019: iTunes is yesterday; today's all about swifter new iOS features," 3 June 2019 What’s different in 2018 is that most of the smaller Oscar contenders — and even some of the bigger ones — have found tough rows to hoe at the box office. — Todd Vanderwerff, Vox, "It looks like the Oscars are going to nominate a bunch of big hits for Best Picture," 30 Nov. 2018 During the war years, dandelions were grown in neat rows allowing farmers to hoe between lines of the plants. — Lucy Craymer, WSJ, "Dandelions Ruin Your Front Yard but Could Be the Future of the Rubber Industry," 2 Oct. 2018 Fortunately, these seedlings are easy to hoe away and once taken down to the soil don't regenerate. — Jeff Lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, "Here’s what’s eating your currant bushes and ‘spitting’ on your wild roses," 13 July 2018 My first job at 14 was hoeing on a tree nursery, all day, five days a week. — Philip Chard, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Dirt under your fingernails is a mental health remedy," 22 June 2018 In the former, the unpopularity of incumbent Daniel Malloy is creating a tough row to hoe for likely Democratic nominee Ned Lamont (famous for wresting away the party nomination from Sen. Joe Lieberman in 2006). — Ed Kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Democrats Hope For Big Gubernatorial Gains This November," 16 June 2018 So yes, digging, raking, hoeing, weeding, and planting all fit into the functional exercise category. — Kimberly Garrison, Philly.com, "How to get a great workout in the garden," 6 June 2018 With mulch in place, hoeing won’t work to remove weeds. — Margaret Lauterbach, idahostatesman, "Save yourself some work in your garden and with your lawn this year | Idaho Statesman," 2 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hoe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.