mow

CEFRB2

/ˈməʊ̯/

verb · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To cut grass or plants with a machine or tool.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    The act of mowing (a garden, grass, etc.).

Examples

  • He was a benevolent old man who volunteered to mow his neighbors' lawns for free.

  • In summer we have to mow the lawn twice a week.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
1

Also pronounced

  • /ˈmoʊ̯/
  • /maʊ̯/

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To cut down grass or crops.

  2. To cut down or slaughter in great numbers.

noun

Extra meaning

  1. A shot played with a sweeping or scythe-like motion.

More examples

In context

  • Let's take advantage of the vacation to mow the lawn.

  • He mowed the lawn every few weeks in the summer.

  • I consider it would engender a stiff, tame, cautious mode of play, with only now and then a mow, or a chopping hit.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Every Saturday, John uses a machine to blank the grass in his yard.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

From Middle English mowen (participle mowen), from Old English māwan (past tense mēow, past participle māwen), from Proto-West Germanic *māan, from Proto-Germanic *mēaną, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂meh₁- (“to mow, reap”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian mjo (“to mow”), Dutch maaien (“to mow”), German mähen (“to mow”), Luxembourgish méien (“to mow”), Danish meje (“to mow”), Swedish meja (“to mow”); see also Hittite [script needed] (ḫamešḫa, “spring/early summer”, literally “mowing time”), Latin metō (“to harvest, mow”), Ancient Greek ἀμάω (amáō, “to mow”).