mow

¹

[ moh ]

verb (used with object)

, mowed, mowed or mown, mow·ing.

1. to cut down (grass, grain, etc.) with a scythe or a machine.
2. to cut grass, grain, etc., from:

   to mow the lawn.

verb (used without object)

, mowed, mowed or mown, mow·ing.

1. to cut down grass, grain, etc.

verb phrase

1. 1. to destroy or kill indiscriminately or in great numbers, as troops in battle.
   2. to defeat, overwhelm, or overcome:

      The team mowed down its first four opponents.

   3. to knock down.

mow

²

[ mou ]

noun

1. a heap or pile of hay or of sheaves of grain in a barn.
2. the place in a barn where hay, sheaves of grain, etc., are stored.

verb (used with object)

1. Chiefly Northern and North Midland U.S. to store (hay) in a barn.

mow

³

or mowe

[ mou, moh ]

noun

1. a wry or derisive grimace.

verb (used without object)

, mowed, mow·ing.

1. to make mows, mouths, or grimaces.

mow

¹

/ maʊ /

noun

1. the part of a barn where hay, straw, etc, is stored
2. the hay, straw, etc, stored

mow

²

/ məʊ /

verb

1. to cut down (grass, crops, etc) with a hand implement or machine
2. tr to cut the growing vegetation of (a field, lawn, etc)

mow

³

/ maʊ /

noun

1. an archaic word for grimace

Derived Forms

• ˈmower, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of mow¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English mowen, mouwen “to stack hay or grain,” Old English māwan “to mow;” cognate with Old Frisian mīa, German mähen

Origin of mow²

First recorded before 900; Middle English mow(e), mou, moghe, Old English mūga, mūha, mūwa “a heap or stack of grain”; cognate with Old Norse mūgi “swath”

Origin of mow³

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English moue, mouwe, mouhe, from Middle French moue “lip, pout,” Old French möe, from Frankish; akin to Middle Dutch mouwe “protruding lip”

Word History and Origins

Origin of mow¹

Old English mūwa; compare Old Norse mūgr heap, Greek mukōn

Origin of mow²

Old English māwan; related to Old High German māen, Middle Dutch maeyen to mow, Latin metere to reap, Welsh medi

Origin of mow³

C14: from Old French moe a pout, or Middle Dutch mouwe

Example Sentences

Then there are those who like to “mow the lawn,” a Find-a-Grave term used to describe volunteers who go up and down the rows of graves in a specific cemetery to photograph each and every stone they come across.

From Slate

“Because we get a lot of food now, it looks better...” he trailed off and shot an impish grin at the two women, “and I don’t have to mow it.”

From Los Angeles Times

Game 7 of the National League Championship Series, ninth inning, they need somebody to mow down the Philadelphia Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper … why not Ohtani?

From Los Angeles Times

They did this, they say, because it was easy, but the noise and environmental pollution from the weekly “mow and blow” proved difficult for Cordeal, who works from home as a film and television production accountant.

From Los Angeles Times

There have also been reports of effects among people who burn or mow the plant.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• shear
• trim