What does "mow" mean?
The act of mowing (a garden, grass, etc.).
Mow
/moʊ/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act of mowing (a garden, grass, etc.).
- Grammar: mow is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abbreviate, abridge, abstract, anthill.
- Useful contrasts: grow, plant, save.
- Usage evidence: He was a benevolent old man who volunteered to mow his neighbors' lawns for free.
How to use "mow"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "mow" 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 "mow" 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 "mow" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "mow" 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 "mow" 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 "abbreviate" 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 "mow", 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 The act of mowing (a garden, grass, etc.).
"The lawn hasn't had a mow for a couple of months, so it's like a jungle out there!"
- 2 A scornful grimace; a wry face. dialectal
"Those that paint them dying […] delineate the prisoners spitting in their executioners faces, and making mowes at them."
- 3 A stack of hay, corn, beans or a barn for the storage of hay, corn, beans. regional
- 4 Alternative form of mew (a seagull) alt-of, alternative
- 5 Initialism of meals on wheels. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 a loft in a barn where hay is stored wordnet
- 7 A shot played with a sweeping or scythe-like motion.
"I consider it would engender a stiff, tame, cautious mode of play, with only now and then a mow, or a chopping hit."
- 8 The place in a barn where hay or grain in the sheaf is stowed.
Verb
- 1 To cut down grass or crops. transitive
"He mowed the lawn every few weeks in the summer."
- 2 To make grimaces, mock.
"For every trifle are they set upon me: / Sometime like apes that mow and chatter at me, / And after bite me;"
- 3 To put into mows.
- 4 make a sad face and thrust out one's lower lip wordnet
- 5 To cut down or slaughter in great numbers. often, transitive
"In the afternoon they attacked again, in close formation: our artillery mowed them, but they came on and on, […]"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 cut with a blade or mower wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"He was a benevolent old man who volunteered to mow his neighbors' lawns for free."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "mow"?
Common synonyms include: abbreviate, abridge, abstract, anthill, bank, bob.
How do you use "mow" in a sentence?
He was a benevolent old man who volunteered to mow his neighbors' lawns for free.
How do you pronounce "mow"?
Pronounced /moʊ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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 (“I harvest, mow”), Ancient Greek ἀμάω (amáō, “I mow”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English mowe, from Old French moe (“grimace”), from Frankish *mauwa (“pout, protruding lip”), from Proto-Germanic *mawwō (“muff, sleeve”). Akin to Middle Dutch mouwe (“protruding lip”). Doublet of moue ("pout").
Etymology 3
From Middle English mowe, form Old English mūga, mūha, from Proto-West Germanic *mūgō, *mūhō, from Proto-Germanic *mūgô, *mūhō; perhaps connected to Ancient Greek μύκων (múkōn, “heap”). Cognate with Norwegian muge (“heap, crowd, flock”).
Etymology 4
Various origins: * A variant of the surname Mao. * A variant of the surnames Mowe or Maw. * A Scottish habitational surname, from a place in the parish of Morebattle.