mow

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈmau̇ 

1

: a piled-up stack (as of hay or fodder)

also : a pile of hay or grain in a barn

2

: the part of a barn where hay or straw is stored

mow

2 of 4

verb (1)

ˈmō 

mowed; mowed or mown ˈmōn  ; mowing

transitive verb

1

a

: to cut down with a scythe or sickle or machine

b

: to cut the standing herbage (such as grass) of

mow the lawn

2

a(1)

: to kill or destroy in great numbers or mercilessly

machine guns mowed down the enemy

(2)

: to cause to fall : knock down

b

: to overcome swiftly and decisively : rout

mowed down the opposing team

intransitive verb

: to cut down standing herbage (such as grass)

mower

ˈmō(-ə)r 

noun

mow

3 of 4

noun (2)

ˈmau̇  ˈmō 

: grimace

mow

4 of 4

verb (2)

ˈmau̇  ˈmō 

mowed; mowing; mows

intransitive verb

: to make grimaces

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• cut

Noun (2)

• face
• frown
• grimace
• lower
• lour
• moue
• mouth
• mug
• pout
• scowl
• snoot

Examples of mow in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Learn more and and purchase tickets at www.alaskabg.org Don’t rake or blow, mow: All the stuff blown down on the lawn is great microbe food. —Jeff Lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, 31 Aug. 2023

Rather than roaming in a random pattern, as most auto-mowers do, the Automower 415X mows in a stripe or checkerboard pattern, which will make your lawn look like professional landscapers have cared for it. —Kate Morgan, Popular Mechanics, 25 May 2023

Once it's programmed, the robot goes out to mow, then returns to its charging station when there's a certain amount of battery life remaining, such as 10 or 15 percent. —Arricca Elin Sansone, House Beautiful, 26 July 2023

For faster control without resorting to a burner or herbicide, mow or use a strong trimmer to cut the weeds close to the ground. —Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 1 June 2023

The plan that’s being developed will have to address this issue, but the reality is the options are few — mow, graze or burn — and none are easy to carry out or guaranteed to be effective. —Jennifer Oldham, ProPublica, 12 May 2023

Anybody should be able to get behind any mower and mow safely without a lot of instruction. —Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 12 May 2023

To keep ticks at bay at home, trim brush, mow grass, and rake leaves on your property. —Health Editorial Team, Health, 21 Apr. 2023

Homeowners want an eco-friendly and no-mow solution that still provides the durability of traditional grass. —Angela Belt, House Beautiful, 5 Apr. 2023

Verb

After shooting out her back windshield and trying to mow her down with a pickup truck, the cat-and-mouse game moves on foot through the wilderness. —Matt Donnelly, Variety, 20 Sep. 2023

Keep Mowing Continue to water and mow your lawn, as needed, throughout the fall. —Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, 22 Aug. 2023

People were told to chug extra water while mowing lawns or exercising outdoors, and to check on neighbors to ensure air-conditioning is available. —Juan Lozano, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2023

Wendell, 66, was mowing the front of their property. —Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN, 9 Aug. 2023

If there are aggressive weeds in the lawn (those prone to taking over), discourage them from going to seed by mowing regularly. —Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 31 Aug. 2023

Check on your neighbors People across the region were told to chug extra water while mowing lawns or exercising outdoors, and to check on neighbors to ensure air conditioning is available due to the extreme heat. —Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 22 Aug. 2023

To overseed, simply mow your lawn as low as possible, rake the clippings, scatter the seed into your existing lawn, and then lightly rake the seed into the soil. —Anne Readel, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Aug. 2023

While mowing her lawn, Peggy Jones was simultaneously attacked by a snake and a hawk. —Outdoor Life, 9 Aug. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, heap, stack, from Old English mūga; akin to Old Norse mūgi heap

Verb (1)

Middle English mowen, going back to Old English māwan (past participle māwen), going back to West Germanic *mēan- (whence, with a differing hiatus consonant, Old Frisian miā, miān "to mow," Middle Dutch maeyen, Old High German *māen), going back to an Indo-European verbal base *h₂meh₁- "reap, mow," whence also Greek amáō, amân "to reap, cut" (perhaps from *h₂mh₁-eh₂-)

Note: Old English māwan is a Class VII strong verb (like cnāwan know entry 1, blāwan blow entry 1), though a weak verb in later Middle and Modern English and in other Germanic languages. The element *-eh₁- in *h₂meh₁- has been treated as a suffix, with a parallel derivative *h₂m-et- yielding Italo-Celtic *met-, in Latin metō, metere "to reap, harvest, cut off," Welsh medaf, medi "to reap," Middle Breton midiff, Breton mediñ, Middle Irish meithel "reaping party," Welsh medel. Hittite hamešha(nt)- "spring, harvest time" has also been connected with *h₂meh₁-, though with some dispute. Cf. aftermath, meadow.

Noun (2)

Middle English mowe, from Anglo-French mouwe, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Dutch mouwe protruding lip

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing mow

• mow down
• mow the lawn

• mow down
• mow the lawn

Kids Definition

mow

1 of 2 noun

ˈmau̇ 

1

: a stack of hay or straw

2

: the part of a barn where hay or straw is stored

mow

2 of 2 verb

ˈmō 

mowed; mowed or mown ˈmōn  ; mowing

1

: to cut down with a scythe or machine

mow hay

2

: to cut the standing leafy plant cover from

mow a lawn

3

: to kill or destroy in great numbers

4

: to overcome completely

mow down the other team

mower

ˈmō(-ə)r 

noun

Etymology

Noun

Old English mūga "heap, stack"

Verb

Old English māwan "to mow (as hay)"