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
Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 16 July 2025
With 2026 being a fallow year — meaning Glastonbury will take a year off to let the land on Worthy Farm regenerate — the festival pulled out all the stops this time around with powerhouse headlining performances and a few genuinely exciting secret sets.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 30 June 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
June and July are fallow months, and their viewing will increase when football season begins and original episodes of comedies and dramas return, Fuhrer said.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 16 July 2025
With 2026 being a fallow year — meaning Glastonbury will take a year off to let the land on Worthy Farm regenerate — the festival pulled out all the stops this time around with powerhouse headlining performances and a few genuinely exciting secret sets.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fallow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fallow
Adjective
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Prior to Pumariega, Demie Mainieri Field had been dormant for 28 years.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
31 Aug. 2025
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The dormant account fee is equivalent to the account balance or $10, whichever is less, but the fee will not overdraw your account.—
Jasmin Suknanan,
CNBC,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Fall color doesn't have to mean a bunch of blowing and raking.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
1 Sep. 2025
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Busch continues to rake Busch’s strong rookie season was merely a jumping off point for the 27-year-old first baseman.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Mired in a terrible second-half slump, the center fielder went 2-for-3 with two sacrifice flies after not starting Tuesday and Wednesday and an off day Thursday.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Sep. 2025
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The Jayhawks will attempt to learn from their mistakes during an upcoming off week.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 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
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DeSantis appointed his former Chief of Staff James Uthmeier to the vacant attorney general post in February, giving him an incumbent-like advantage for the 2026 election even though voters did not pick him for the job.—
Alexandra Glorioso,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
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Even Roosevelt, the city’s most cherished school, has been vacant since 2019 and fallen into disrepair.—
Carole Carlson,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Bobba had sorted people with a Social Security number by age and found more than 12 million over 120 years old still listed in the agency’s data.—
Eli Hager,
ProPublica,
8 Sep. 2025
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Tosa continues to be a competitive real estate market, with the average home pending sale just 35 days after it’s listed.—
Francesca Pica,
jsonline.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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By selectively powering down idle components, Arcam claims the overall noise floor is significantly decreased.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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The Irish are 0-1 and staring at an idle weekend with plenty to work on after a 27-24 loss in Miami on the Sunday night of Week 1.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Fallow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fallow. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
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