tilled

past tense of till
as in cultivated
to work by plowing, sowing, and raising crops on farmers tilling the soil from sunup to sunset

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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 tilled Creative soil has to be tilled every once in a while. Peter Bogdanovich, IndieWire, 13 May 2026 Red clover can make a drought- and shade-tolerant lawn alternative, but it is more often grown as an annual winter cover crop and then tilled into the soil as green manure. Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 13 May 2026 Unlike parks or residential lawns, cemeteries are rarely dug up, tilled or redeveloped — which means the soil remains stable year after year. Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026 Solid manure from feedlots, poultry houses or composting dairy barns is spread and tilled under. Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2026 These tools – still carrying the soil from which they were tilled – represent the work of the immigrant farmworkers of all backgrounds who helped build California’s agriculture industry, which continues to feed the nation today. Sam Vong, The Conversation, 18 Dec. 2025 The wheat fields themselves told their own story—deep brown and newly tilled in autumn, then green in spring, golden in summer. Hannah Howard, Travel + Leisure, 22 Nov. 2025 The rest was tilled into the ground. Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025 Château de Selle is located inland from the Mediterranean Sea, on limestone hillsides, planted in arid limestone soil––the earth is actually mechanically tilled to crush the rocks; yields from the 345-acre organic (since 2022) estate are low. John Mariani, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tilled
Verb
  • But the star has cultivated a loyal collective of her favorite brands, including Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Stella McCartney and Area (recall her famous Super Bowl jeans).
    Morgan Evans, USA Today, 4 July 2026
  • The one-person filmmaker averages 3 million views per episode and has cultivated a YouTube audience of 500,000.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
Verb
  • His Hammness does show up, tongue planted firmly in his photogenic cheek, and reminds you that nobody does handsome-guy self-mockery better than Jon Hamm.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 July 2026
  • At Wild Orchard Farmstead on South Korea’s enchanting Jeju Island, regenerative organic tea seeds are planted into the dark, pliable, nutrient-rich soil that allows its roots to grow as deep as the trees are tall.
    Andrew Watman, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
Verb
  • Ronco Bertolo is a brand-new apartment-style B&B tucked into the Bolognese Apennines near Loiano, run by a woman whose family has farmed the property for three centuries.
    Winston Ross, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • As Rayan began screaming, al-Ajeen, whose family has long farmed in the area, picked up his son and began walking again.
    Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 30 June 2026
Verb
  • Buying directly from a local producer may provide an opportunity to ask questions about how food is grown, harvested, washed, stored and transported.
    Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 15 July 2026
  • And, perhaps most importantly, all potatoes should be harvested before the first frost to prevent rot.
    Asia London Palomba, The Spruce, 13 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Tilled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tilled. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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