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
Tractors pass by, tilling the soil.
—
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 Jan. 2026
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
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tilling
Verb
-
The open question is whether anyone is willing to stop extracting long enough to start cultivating.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Aiding retailers in becoming more consumer-centric and cultivating communities is becoming increasingly important, Maus commented.—
Alex Wynne,
Footwear News,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In my view, many of those landowners do not want to continue farming.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Ens was regularly farming outside, milking cows by hand, plowing fields and helping her family butcher animals.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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For best results, choose a rich potting mix and amend garden soil with compost before planting.—
Lauren Landers,
The Spruce,
7 Jan. 2026
-
When planting pea seeds, proper soil preparation is essential.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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They’re each charged with burglary and illegally harvesting a tarpon.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The higher the range of absorption, the better the material is at harvesting solar energy.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Instead of impulsive purchases and behaviors, people in the midst of a midlife crisis are really just struggling with kitchen table issues, including tending to their physical and mental health and supporting extended family.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Logging off healed the deep wound of constantly watching other people’s lives instead of tending to my own.—
Lee Tilghman,
SELF,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tilling. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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