scythe

1 of 2

noun

ˈsīṯẖ  ˈsī 

: an implement used for mowing grass, grain, or other crops and composed of a long curving blade fastened at an angle to a long handle

Illustration of scythe

scythe

2 of 2

verb

scythed; scything

intransitive verb

: to use a scythe

transitive verb

: to cut with or as if with a scythe

scything cornstalks

Examples of scythe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

On a recent Saturday evening, during one of his public tours, Rosenberg handed out scythes and an agenda to whack away the invasive plants. —Emma Bowman, NPR, 17 Nov. 2025

Once the two of us set about attacking weeds along the side of the house, each of us with a big scythe. —Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025

Verb

As the changing patterns scythe down yields and stall output, rising Indian domestic consumption is expected to shrink exports from the world's second largest tea producer. —Tora Agarwala, Reuters, 29 Aug. 2025

If their press from the front fails, teams can scythe through them with few passes. —Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English sithe, from Old English sīthe; akin to Old English sagu saw — more at saw

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1574, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for scythe

• blithe
• lithe
• tithe
• writhe
• wythe

Kids Definition

scythe

noun

ˈsīt͟h, 

sī

: a tool that has a curved blade on a long curved handle and is used for mowing grass or grain by hand