as in dormant
not being in a state of use, activity, or employment
the coal mine has been lying fallow since the drop in prices made it unprofitable
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Recent Examples of fallow
Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2023
Congress recently allocated $4 billion in drought funding that can be used to pay farmers to fallow their land and not use their water.
—Ben Tracy, Andy Bast, CBS News, 31 Jan. 2023
Steven Zeitch, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2025
The two-day multi-genre affair will take place at Adelaide’s Rymill & King Rodney Parks across the weekend of Oct. 25-26, having returned following a fallow year in 2024.
—Tyler Jenke, Billboard, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fallow
Adjective
Compromising probably would require money — perhaps tax money — to pay farmers to fallow their land and governments to build new canals and repair old ones.
—Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2023
Congress recently allocated $4 billion in drought funding that can be used to pay farmers to fallow their land and not use their water.
—Ben Tracy, Andy Bast, CBS News, 31 Jan. 2023
Verb
Sure, there was an individual performance in a variety or music program category during some of those fallow 20th century years, but sketch performers hardly won that, either, and besides, who even remembers that award?
—Steven Zeitch, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2025
The two-day multi-genre affair will take place at Adelaide’s Rymill & King Rodney Parks across the weekend of Oct. 25-26, having returned following a fallow year in 2024.
—Tyler Jenke, Billboard, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fallow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fallow
Adjective
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To determine whether a branch is dead or just dormant, scrape some of the bark away.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
5 Oct. 2025
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Once the bulb has gone dormant and all the foliage has died down, carefully dig the bulb or tuber out of the ground.—
Erica Browne Grivas,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Absent Karen’s presence to hold the fire, however, all eyes are laser-focused on the comings and goings of Stacey Rusch, who is raked through the coals on her reunion debut.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
Vulture,
6 Oct. 2025
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Remove infested plants and rake out any debris.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The first signs that 2025 wouldn’t live up to Ferrari’s off-season hopes emerged in testing, when McLaren teased its advantage.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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Perhaps not, and that was attributable to some of his off-field pursuits, as sports journalist Devin Gordon explains in one episode.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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One person whose voice stuck out for Fields-Black was Minus Hamilton, an 88-year-old who was hoeing the rice fields at the time of the raid.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
25 June 2025
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To stay on top of weeds, plan to hand-pull or hoe down weeds early in the season when their root systems are still small, and then spend a few minutes weeding each week.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 June 2025
Adjective
-
Ahead of this school year, MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius moved some central office staff to classroom teaching positions to fill vacant roles.—
Kayla Huynh,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
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After moving to the area with his family in 2022, proprietor Andrew Pearson saw an opportunity to bring a fine dining experience to a vacant restaurant space on Main Street.—
Brennan Long,
Southern Living,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Expert Market surveyed 628 American professionals working in the food and beverage space in August, over 85 percent of whom say labor issues are affecting their operations, with 38 percent listing staffing as their most critical challenge.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
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The warrant application listed grant funding applications, submissions to the National Science Foundation, and communications related to his research as potential records.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The store’s lease runs for several more years and city officials do not want the building to sit idle.—
Steven Rosenfeld,
Mercury News,
24 Sep. 2025
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Part of a software update, advertisements will appear on certain refrigerator cover screens when the Family Hub fridge is idle.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Before the big race, the track was harrowed, bringing it to a better and drier racing surface.—
John Cherwa,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2025
-
The research fellow who met me, Birte, was in her forties, and appeared as if she had been harrowed by her work.—
John Ganz,
Harper's Magazine,
22 May 2024
Cite this Entry
“Fallow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fallow. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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