hoe

1 of 2

noun

ˈhō 

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

2 of 2

verb

hoed; hoeing

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.

hoer

ˈhō(-ə)r 

noun

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

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

After initially eradicating chickweed plants, revisit the area weekly with a hoe to scuffle out seedlings that pop up. —Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 May 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

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English howe, from Anglo-French houe, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German houwa mattock, houwan to hew — more at hew

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing hoe

• a tough/hard row to hoe
• Dutch hoe
• scuffle hoe

Rhymes for hoe

• beau
• beaux
• blow
• boe
• bro
• coe
• crow
• doe
• doh
• dough
• eau
• eaux

Kids Definition

hoe

1 of 2 noun

ˈhō 

: 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 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

ˈhō 

Richard March 1812–1886 son of Robert Hoe American inventor

Hoe

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

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