meadow

noun

mead·​ow ˈme-(ˌ)dō How to pronounce meadow (audio)
often attributive
: land that is covered or mostly covered with grass
wildflowers blooming in the meadow
especially : a tract of moist low-lying usually level grassland
meadowy adjective

Examples of meadow in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And today, over a century after logging ceased in 1918, Converse Basin Grove remains a patchwork of young conifer plantations and open meadows dotted with massive stumps. Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025 Keep your eyes out in damp meadows or near streams around places like Grass Valley and Nevada City, where locals report summer sightings. Allison Palmer, Sacbee.com, 21 May 2025 The 8-mile round-trip hike crosses bridges over creeks and winds through aspen groves, alpine meadows, and past smaller cascades before reaching the multi-tiered waterfall in Eagles Nest Wilderness. Jennifer Broome, Denver Post, 20 May 2025 Clover is a perennial that grows in cooler weather and easily grows in pastures, meadows, near the roadside, and in the lawn. Lauren David, Southern Living, 11 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for meadow

Word History

Etymology

Middle English medwe, medowe "grassland kept for hay, pasture field," going back to Old English mǣdwe, oblique singular case form of mǣd, going back to West Germanic *mēdwō- (whence also Old Frisian mēde "pasture, meadow," Middle Dutch māde, mēde), noun derivative from the verbal base *mē- "reap, mow" — more at mow entry 2

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of meadow was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Meadow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meadow. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

meadow

noun
mead·​ow ˈmed-ō How to pronounce meadow (audio)
: an area of moist low usually level grassland

More from Merriam-Webster on meadow

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