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
Alexandra Tanner, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
But the couple were already drawing up plans to create new grazing areas for sheep and livestock in the fallow fields that stretched toward the train tracks.
—Suzy Khimm, NBC news, 21 Mar. 2025
Laura Reiley, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Sep. 2022
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
See All Example Sentences for fallow
Adjective
After each date, the narrator fills out a spreadsheet with details of her fallow prospects’ personal finances and personality quirks.
—Alexandra Tanner, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
But the couple were already drawing up plans to create new grazing areas for sheep and livestock in the fallow fields that stretched toward the train tracks.
—Suzy Khimm, NBC news, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
Many growers decided to fallow their fields and sell their water to perennial crops like almonds to defray their losses.
—Laura Reiley, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Sep. 2022
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
See All Example Sentences for fallow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fallow
Adjective
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Take a cutting a few inches long with several leaves to include a node (that brown bumpy thing which is a dormant growing point where the stem meets the leaf).—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
9 May 2025
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Shingles develops in people who have previously had chicken pox, a virus that remains dormant in the body after acute infections clear up and can be reactivated later in life.—
Emily Kay Votruba,
EverydayHealth.com,
8 May 2025
Verb
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While Shaw is back in Iowa and Brown is scuffling as a starter, Busch has been raking as well.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
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Netflix came in second among all media companies, raking … Full Story COMING UP Tomorrow’s news today: Stay ahead of the political trends by signing up for The Hill’s Evening Report newsletter.—
Miranda Nazzaro,
The Hill,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Signs that frozen chicken has gone bad include freezer burn, an off smell or texture, and discoloration.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
10 May 2025
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Winston will be an example of an off the field leader Dart can learn from, which is likely the reason for Winston earning a two-year contract compared to Wilson’s one-year deal.—
Tyler Small,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Wayward rhizomes that pop up as new plants can be hoed or chopped.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 Mar. 2025
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The directors branch is notoriously snobby, which will be a tough row to hoe for Wicked’s Jon M. Chu, who got his start directing films in the Step Up and G.I. Joe franchises.—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
23 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Inside the one-story cinder block building, three state health officials sat along a table at the front of the largely vacant room.—
Margaret Coker,
ProPublica,
14 May 2025
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Fast forward: After three years, the site remains vacant, fenced and undeveloped.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
14 May 2025
Verb
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Here is the lineup of home and road opponents, listed alphabetically. Steelers’ 2025 opponents The Steelers went 10-7 in the 2024 regular season before being blown out by the Baltimore Ravens in the wild-card round of the playoffs, extending Pittsburgh’s winless postseason drought to eight years.—
Mike DeFabo,
New York Times,
14 May 2025
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Favorite Paint Picks Drew listed Farrow & Ball’s Dimity as his favorite neutral.—
Eleni N. Gage,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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By adjusting power consumption dynamically, the tool could help reduce unnecessary background activity and extend battery life—especially during idle periods or when apps are not in active use.—
Tahar Rajab,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 May 2025
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That's no idle pledge calculated to preserve market share — Keen has been steadily retooling the business for years to protect itself from sudden shifts in global trade and the vagaries of geopolitics.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
9 May 2025
Verb
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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
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Plus, Shin Ha-young is given little to do in the second half of the series despite her effortless shift from warm third wheel to harrowed and weary abuse victim.—
Geoffrey Bunting,
Rolling Stone,
26 Oct. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Fallow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fallow. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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