mow
1
[ moh ]
/ moʊ /
verb (used with object), mowed, mowed or mown, mow·ing.
to cut down (grass, grain, etc.) with a scythe or a machine.
to cut grass, grain, etc., from: to mow the lawn.
verb (used without object), mowed, mowed or mown, mow·ing.
to cut down grass, grain, etc.
Verb Phrases
mow down,
- to destroy or kill indiscriminately or in great numbers, as troops in battle.
- to defeat, overwhelm, or overcome: The team mowed down its first four opponents.
- to knock down.
Origin of mow
1
before 900; Middle English
mowen, Old English
māwan; cognate with German
mähen
Words nearby mow
British Dictionary definitions for mow down (1 of 4)
mow down
verb
(tr, adverb)
to kill in large numbers, esp by gunfire
British Dictionary definitions for mow down (2 of 4)
mow
1
/ (məʊ) /
verb mows, mowing, mowed, mowed or mown
to cut down (grass, crops, etc) with a hand implement or machine
(tr)
to cut the growing vegetation of (a field, lawn, etc)
Derived forms of mow
mower, nounWord Origin for mow
Old English
māwan; related to Old High German
māen, Middle Dutch
maeyen to mow, Latin
metere to reap, Welsh
medi
British Dictionary definitions for mow down (3 of 4)
mow
2
/ (maʊ) /
noun
the part of a barn where hay, straw, etc, is stored
the hay, straw, etc, stored
Word Origin for mow
Old English
mūwa; compare Old Norse
mūgr heap, Greek
mukōn
British Dictionary definitions for mow down (4 of 4)
Word Origin for mow
C14: from Old French
moe a pout, or Middle Dutch
mouwe
Idioms and Phrases with mow down
mow down
Destroy in great numbers, especially in battle, as in The machine gun mowed them down as they advanced. [Late 1500s]
Overwhelm, as in He mowed down the opposition with his arguments. This usage, like the first, alludes to mowing, the cutting of grass with a scythe or other implement.