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
Aggressive turning or tilling harms microorganisms, kills beneficial insects and earthworms, increases erosion, removes air pockets, releases carbon into the atmosphere and brings dormant weed seeds to the surface, where conditions are perfect for their growth.
—
ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
The grass and roots can then be raked out after tilling the soil and before planting flowers.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 11 Mar. 2026
Prep the planting spot by tilling the soil to a depth of 10 to 12 inches.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Mar. 2026
Data center details Heavy construction machines began surveying and tilling the earth at 501 North Bly Road in November, much to the surprise of Bly Road residents, who say they weren’t warned by the city.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
Tractors pass by, tilling the soil.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 Jan. 2026
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
ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
The grass and roots can then be raked out after tilling the soil and before planting flowers.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 11 Mar. 2026
Prep the planting spot by tilling the soil to a depth of 10 to 12 inches.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Mar. 2026
Data center details Heavy construction machines began surveying and tilling the earth at 501 North Bly Road in November, much to the surprise of Bly Road residents, who say they weren’t warned by the city.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
Tractors pass by, tilling the soil.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tilling
Verb
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In this ever-spiraling bipartisan war on social trust, a defensive president didn’t bother cultivating public opinion.—
Gil Troy,
New York Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
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The endowed fellowship aims to build a bridge between lab and clinical practice, cultivating leaders eager to understand the biology and clinical treatment of serious mental illness, UCLA officials said.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Logan had recently stepped away from farming land near the project, and the food truck—serving burgers, chicken, gumbo, and rice and beans—seemed like a way to build a new livelihood without leaving the community.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
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Ramsden, who is thirty-one, grew up in the Lowveld region of South Africa, where his family managed a game reserve, farming livestock and sourcing wildlife, including lions, hippos, elephants, and rhinos, for export.—
Boyce Upholt,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Politicians planting universal child care programs in rocky soil shouldn’t expect a garden.—
Abby McCloskey,
Twin Cities,
29 Mar. 2026
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Others got their hands dirty by planting trees, painting murals or picking up trash along park trails.—
Sal Pizarro,
Mercury News,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Their peers in the south, meanwhile, are busy harvesting crops before the winter sets in.—
Chloe Taylor,Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
25 Mar. 2026
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Immigrants in the 1920s discovered the abalone and started harvesting them.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Without the same ties to the landscape and community, these proprietors might lack the know-how of tending to the land and its best interests at heart.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
26 Mar. 2026
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In San Martin that day, a helicopter landed, unloading between 20 and 30 soldiers who entered a property and detained five people who had been sowing grass and tending to pastures, the complaint said.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tilling. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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