as in cultivating
to work by plowing, sowing, and raising crops on
farmers tilling the soil from sunup to sunset
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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
-
A number of the new bishops came from the ranks of Opus Dei, which had been cultivating a presence in the country for decades.—
Paul Elie,
New Yorker,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Being a reader means cultivating a relationship with the world that, by most standards, can seem pointless and counterproductive.—
Adam Kirsch,
The Atlantic,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Green Lake County’s 19,000 residents are predominantly white, churchgoing, and Republican, many of them farming, or working at gas stations and grocery stores, restaurants and lakeside resorts.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The vast majority of the residents are farming families who have harvested the land for decades.—
Barnini Chakraborty,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
Each affords particular outlets for decompressing and harvesting the stressors of high-capacity jobs.—
Essence,
Essence,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Soybean farmers in states like Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Indiana have been harvesting this fall without purchase orders from China, once the largest buyer of American soybeans.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The mayor helms numerous responsibilities for the town, per the city's website, including presiding over city council meetings, serving as a spokesperson for the community and tending to day-to-day operations in the city.—
Mason Leath,
ABC News,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Among her future duties in tending to the Garden State will be oversight of its flourishing film and TV industry.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tilling. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share