as in cultivating
to work by plowing, sowing, and raising crops on
farmers tilling the soil from sunup to sunset
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Recent Examples of tilling
Prepare the soil through core aeration or tilling 4 to 6 inches deep.
—
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 8 Oct. 2025
The disease presents growing risks not just for agricultural workers accustomed to tilling soil but also for those who move to new suburban developments or spend the weekend on a golf trip in a region where the fungus is present.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2025
Farmlands to wetlands George Tibbitts mostly farms rice, but his son Carson was tilling a safflower field on one mid-August morning.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025
The fragrance of dry grass mingled in the air with the dust kicked up by a tractor tilling in the distance.
—Elena Valeriote, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Mother Ezumi then called out the names of four other Sisters who would remain on the campus with the junior novices as a faculty skeleton crew, with the former attending to school administration and the latter engaged in their customary truck patch tilling.
—Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2025
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 8 Oct. 2025
The disease presents growing risks not just for agricultural workers accustomed to tilling soil but also for those who move to new suburban developments or spend the weekend on a golf trip in a region where the fungus is present.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2025
Farmlands to wetlands George Tibbitts mostly farms rice, but his son Carson was tilling a safflower field on one mid-August morning.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025
The fragrance of dry grass mingled in the air with the dust kicked up by a tractor tilling in the distance.
—Elena Valeriote, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Mother Ezumi then called out the names of four other Sisters who would remain on the campus with the junior novices as a faculty skeleton crew, with the former attending to school administration and the latter engaged in their customary truck patch tilling.
—Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tilling
Verb
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Downstairs, a private VIC suite — the brand’s first in Europe — has been designed to support its growing clienteling program aimed at cultivating high-spending clients.—
Rhonda Richford,
Footwear News,
30 Oct. 2025
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Operating from Auckland, New Zealand, the outfit handles north of 100 titles and maintains a presence at major markets, championing visually striking material and cultivating ongoing relationships with genre filmmakers globally.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Kane was given antibiotics after being bitten on the elbow while farming in Shrewsbury, Shropshire.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
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Anyone farming more than two acres on land with a non-exempt well would need to report their water use.—
Clara Migoya,
AZCentral.com,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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While there, the other nurses began planting the seeds of a potential career switch, encouraging her to stay in the NICU professionally.—
Jillian Frankel,
PEOPLE,
3 Nov. 2025
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Gardeners who learned the mistake of planting it in the ground once can attest to its ability to root easily wide and far.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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As temperatures begin to cool, your gardening to-do list may include harvesting herbs that won’t survive impending freezing weather.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
22 Oct. 2025
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When harvesting the nuts, pickers should wear gloves to protect their hands from the walnuts' juice, which will stain hands.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The rich lady would struggle with tending animals, living in a small house, and lacking creature comforts.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
29 Oct. 2025
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Gardeners visit homes weekly, sometimes even daily, tending not just to soil and irrigation but also to the evolving priorities of clients.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tilling. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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