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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fallow
Alastair Bland | Calmatters, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2025
One of the top tactics for reducing the conflict, recommended in the Guidelines for Human-Leopard Conflict Mitigation and by Friends of the Leopard, is to keep fallow fields clean.
—Michael Benanav, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Apr. 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
Experts agree that an important key to rebuilding salmon runs is increasing the frequency and duration of shallow flooding in riverside riparian areas, or even fallow rice paddies — a program Katz has helped develop through his career.
—Alastair Bland | Calmatters, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2025
One of the top tactics for reducing the conflict, recommended in the Guidelines for Human-Leopard Conflict Mitigation and by Friends of the Leopard, is to keep fallow fields clean.
—Michael Benanav, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Apr. 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
-
The cause of the blaze has not been determined, but the company has acknowledged that it may have been sparked by a faulty dormant power line operated by Edison.—
Caroline Petrow-Cohen,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2025
-
Perhaps the Flyers believe that a certain segment of the fan base that’s been dormant through what has been a mostly incompetent decade will awaken with the return of one of the organization’s most popular all-time players now running the day-to-day operations at ice level.—
Kevin Kurz,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
Verb
-
Nash Core and his 11-year-old son, Parker, discovered the shark while flying a drone along the beach during a crab raking trip.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
2 May 2025
-
The red-hot Trent Grisham returned to the team and the leadoff spot following paternity leave, while the raking Ben Rice occupied the three-hole for the first time this season.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
But the Lions scored three times in the top of the third off USD starter Cal Scolari.—
Bill Center,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 May 2025
-
As the Cubs, winners in seven of their last nine, head into an off day Thursday, here are three takeaways from their second straight series victory.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
21 May 2025
Verb
-
Wayward rhizomes that pop up as new plants can be hoed or chopped.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 Mar. 2025
-
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
-
Fast forward: After three years, the site remains vacant, fenced and undeveloped.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
14 May 2025
-
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
Verb
-
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
-
Favorite Paint Picks Drew listed Farrow & Ball’s Dimity as his favorite neutral.—
Eleni N. Gage,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 May 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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 27 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share