meadow

noun

mead·​ow ˈme-(ˌ)dō 

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

ˈme-də-wē 

adjective

Examples of meadow in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To my left, a string of horses are grazing peacefully in a meadow; to my right, a coterie of children are throwing footballs and making s’mores on a campfire as the distant twang of bluegrass ripples through the air. — Olivia Singer, Vogue, 3 Nov. 2026

Cary Claver, who lives near Apple Hill Park, suggested turning an empty field behind the park into a natural meadow with wildflowers, pollinator plants and walking paths. — Steve Zalusky, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026

The Sea Ranch Lodge is just a small part of the much larger 7,000-acre Sea Ranch community, which has grown to encompass 2,224 homes clustered around a series of sunny meadows surrounded by stands of wind-breaking cypress. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Oct. 2026

At a museum preview event, Mia Lehrer, president of Studio-MLA, the landscape architect firm behind the gardens, described looking to California’s mountains, meadows, foothills and valleys for inspiration. — Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026

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

Phrases Containing meadow

• meadow beauty
• meadow fescue
• meadow grass
• meadow mushroom
• meadow nematode
• meadow rue
• meadow saffron
• meadow spittlebug
• meadow vole
• water meadow

Rhymes for meadow

• acknow
• aglow
• ago
• airglow
• aloe
• altho
• although
• ammo
• backflow
• backhoe
• banjo
• barbeau

Kids Definition

meadow

noun

mead·​ow ˈmed-ō 

: an area of moist low usually level grassland