tilling

present participle of till
as in cultivating
to work by plowing, sowing, and raising crops on farmers tilling the soil from sunup to sunset

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 tilling Choose a shade-tolerant grass suited to your region, and avoid digging or tilling near the roots. — Tricia Goss, Southern Living, 28 Sep. 2026 The first phase of the project is building the infrastructure, including clearing away brush and debris, tilling the soil and putting up fencing. — Veronica Ortega, CBS News, 26 Sep. 2026 Originally rooted in practicality for farmers who needed more warmth and protection while tilling the fields, designers now take liberties with the coat’s original intent, experimenting with shorter lengths, patterns, and fabrics. — Irene Richardson, InStyle, 24 Sep. 2026 Rated at 27 horsepower (about 20 kW), it's aimed squarely at everyday farm chores like mowing, tilling and hauling – the kind of work that has traditionally meant firing up a diesel engine. — New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2026 Many reduced or eliminated their petrochemical use, stopped tilling their fields and added additional plant varieties and cover crops to protect the soil. — Sydney Giacalone, The Conversation, 17 Sep. 2026 The company had sent heavy machinery to the site, an undeveloped valley in northeast Independence, a month earlier to start tilling the earth and digging runoff ponds. — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026 Dash, 2026, the forty-seven-minute, two-channel essay-film at the project’s core, is filled with quiet, almost meditative scenes of machines tilling the land that initially conjure a faux-pastoral aesthetic register. — Pablo Larios, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026 Root vegetables like potatoes and carrots require some degree of tilling to harvest at scale and is less damaging to soil health than glyphosate. — Andrew Watman, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tilling
Verb
  • The married owners—Ingrid Rivas, an agronomist, and Radamés Arroyo, an engineer—first began developing the 25-acre property by cultivating Tahiti limes, and the name Hacienda Verde Tahití later became a tribute to those agricultural beginnings.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The decision to launch the movie in moderate release — rather than limited in just a handful of venues or nationwide on more than 2,000 screens — proved wise because the studio was able to bolster awareness while cultivating a sense of scarcity.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 26 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • According to the listing team, DuMOL Winery will continue farming the vineyard.
    — Kat Tran October 29, Sacbee.com, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Chilean fishers claim that pollution caused by salmon-farming facilities is significantly reducing the abundance of fish and shellfish in the sea.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • In the finale, before Lee and Adam learn Aron has been killed in action in World War I, Lee is flipping through a seed catalogue, Adam is planting something, and then the telegram arrives and the two of you share this look.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Miller said the seedlings typically grow for about a year and are only sent for planting in regions in which specific species thrive.
    — Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The volunteers, Israelis and Americans, had come to stand alongside Palestinian farmers harvesting olives with the goal of preventing attacks by Israeli settlers.
    — Liam Scott, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Photograph by Faiz Abu Rmeleh / Getty On Friday, a group of Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers who were harvesting olives in the West Bank.
    — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • McCollum spent summers working cattle, branding steers and tending to his grandfather's ranch alongside his cousins.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Recent history, the Acton strategists noted, has shown GOP voters tending to migrate back to the party in the final days before an election.
    — Teo Armus, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Tilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tilling. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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