hoe

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

The garden has to be hoed.

She was hoeing in the garden all day.

Recent Examples on the Web

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

Somebody hoed the soil and discovered this underneath. —Sarah Douglas, ARTnews.com, 5 May 2026

These should be relatively easy to hoe out and dispose of. —Laura Simpson, Oc Register, 11 Apr. 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

Word History

Etymology

First Known Use

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
• beaut
• beaux
• blow
• 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