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

As Premier League spending ballooned over the £3billion mark — more than the other four main European domestic leagues combined — PSR and its supposed influence remained a constant in the background, a grim reaper bearing a calculator rather than a scythe. —Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025

Meanwhile, there are already signs that Congress is racing to shield the Orion and its super-rocket from the White House scythes aimed at NASA. —Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 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

circa 1580, 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