What does "meadow" mean?
A field or pasture; a piece of land covered or cultivated with grass, usually intended to be mown for hay.
Meadow
/ˈmɛd.oʊ/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A field or pasture; a piece of land covered or cultivated with grass, usually intended to be mown for hay.
- Grammar: meadow is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: lea, baygall, bog, bottom.
- Useful contrasts: desert, industrial landscape, sweetbriars.
- Usage evidence: Cows are eating grass in the meadow.
How to use "meadow"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "meadow" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "meadow" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "meadow" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "meadow" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "meadow" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "lea" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "meadow", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A field or pasture; a piece of land covered or cultivated with grass, usually intended to be mown for hay.
"But then I had the [massive] flintlock by me for protection. ¶[…]The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window at the old mare feeding in the meadow below by the brook,[…]."
- 2 a piece of land covered or mostly covered with grass; a field where grass or alfalfa are grown to be made into hay wordnet
- 3 Low land covered with coarse grass or rank herbage near rivers and in marshy places by the sea.
"the salt meadows near Newark Bay"
Verb
- 1 To cultivate with grass in order to produce hay.
"That there is and from time immemorial has been within that part of the parish called Mablethorpe St. Mary's a laudable custom that, if any outdweller take ancient pasture ground, he shall pay a modus of 4d. an acre, and so in proportion, on the 1st of August, in lieu of all manner of tithe; and that if any of the ancient pasture be once ploughed up or meadowed, it shall, when restored to pasture again, pay 4d. the acre in the hands of such outdweller."
Proper Noun
- 1 A number of places in the United States:; A township in Clay County, Iowa.
- 2 A number of places in the United States:; A township in Wadena County, Minnesota.
- 3 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Sarpy County, Nebraska.
- 4 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Perkins County, South Dakota.
- 5 A number of places in the United States:; A town in Terry County, Texas.
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A number of places in the United States:; A town in Millard County, Utah, originally named Meadow Creek.
- 7 A female given name.
""Oh, shoot. This must be bad. You're drinking a cocktail in the middle of the day," Meadow said, leaning down to hug her sister."
Antonyms
Example
"Cows are eating grass in the meadow."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "meadow"?
Common synonyms include: lea, baygall, bog, bottom, bottomland, bottoms.
How do you use "meadow" in a sentence?
Cows are eating grass in the meadow.
How do you pronounce "meadow"?
Pronounced /ˈmɛd.oʊ/.
Etymology
From Middle English medowe, medewe, medwe (also mede > Modern English mead), from Old English mǣdwe, inflected form of mǣd (see mead), from Proto-Germanic *mēdwō, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂met- (“to mow, reap”), enlargement of *h₂meh₁-. See also West Frisian miede, dialectal Dutch made, dialectal German Matte (“mountain pasture”); also Welsh medi, Latin metō, Ancient Greek ἄμητος (ámētos, “reaping”). More at mow.