as in dormant
not being in a state of use, activity, or employment
the coal mine has been lying fallow since the drop in prices made it unprofitable
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Recent Examples of fallow
Simon Hughes, The Athletic, 14 Aug. 2024
The picture arrives, of course, at a fallow time for Marvel after a string of duds and an abortive attempt to introduce a new superhero phase following the climactic, stage-clearing (and absurdly lucrative) battles of Avengers: Endgame.
—Zoe Guy, Vulture, 25 July 2024
Sammy Rothstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2022
Noah Hiscox, a Coolidge farmer for 44 years, is among the growers who expect to fallow much of their land.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 4 Jan. 2022
See all Example Sentences for fallow 
Adjective
Gullit surely did well for Chelsea given the fallow years the club experienced before his hiring, but nine months after victory over Middlesbrough at Wembley, he was sacked, even though the team was standing second in the Premier League table and in the quarter-finals of two cup competitions.
—Simon Hughes, The Athletic, 14 Aug. 2024
The picture arrives, of course, at a fallow time for Marvel after a string of duds and an abortive attempt to introduce a new superhero phase following the climactic, stage-clearing (and absurdly lucrative) battles of Avengers: Endgame.
—Zoe Guy, Vulture, 25 July 2024
Verb
As farmers fallow more land in California’s Central Valley — due to drought and groundwater regulations — more dust could be kicked up, polluting low-income communities of color that already suffer from some of the nation’s worst air quality.
—Sammy Rothstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2022
Noah Hiscox, a Coolidge farmer for 44 years, is among the growers who expect to fallow much of their land.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 4 Jan. 2022
See all Example Sentences for fallow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fallow
Adjective
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In one order, Trump directed the federal government to resume construction of the border wall, which was largely dormant under the Biden administration.—
Michael Dorgan,
Fox News,
21 Jan. 2025
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Hike Rangitoto Island – the largest and youngest of Auckland’s 48 dormant volcanic cones.—
Roger Sands,
Forbes,
21 Jan. 2025
Verb
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When the rye declines, rake it out and loosen the soil to sow the permanent bahiagrass seed.—
Tom MacCubbin,
Orlando Sentinel,
11 Jan. 2025
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After the area mostly dries, rake away all dead material and loosen the soil.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
8 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Often, Jones would bring his daughter to the facility on an off day.—
Chad Graff,
The Athletic,
22 Jan. 2025
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So on this off day, Powell got a massage in preparation for the grind to come.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The directors branch is notoriously snobby, which will be a tough row to hoe for Wicked’s Jon M. Chu, who got his start directing films in the Step Up and G.I. Joe franchises.—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
23 Nov. 2024
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Slowly, the trail widened with signs of civilization: hoed rows of plantings, waxy horses.—
Kayla Aletha Welch,
Longreads,
19 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The Code Blue took effect Sunday night — before a body was pulled from a burning and vacant home on North Avenue.—
Lorraine Mirabella,
Baltimore Sun,
25 Jan. 2025
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In December, before the fires, the median rent for vacant units of all sizes across Los Angeles County was $2,045, down 0.7% from a year earlier but 6.8% more than in December 2019, according to data from Apartment List.—
Andrew Khouri,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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After week two, per theater averages only listed for expanding films with under 100 theaters.—
Tom Brueggemann,
IndieWire,
26 Jan. 2025
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Two out of every three programs listed in response to DeSantis’ directive was an undergraduate class or other campus program that had no obvious connection to a DEI office, according to a Herald analysis of the information provided to the state by public universities.—
Sarah Blaskey,
Miami Herald,
26 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Another revealed that million-dollar fire trucks sat idle because budget cuts had shrunk the number of mechanics available to fix them.—
Anna-Maja Rappard,
CNN,
14 Jan. 2025
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As a result, much of Europe’s savings either sits idle in domestic banks or chases higher returns in the deeper, more liquid capital markets in the United States.—
Erik Jones,
Foreign Affairs,
13 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The research fellow who met me, Birte, was in her forties, and appeared as if she had been harrowed by her work.—
John Ganz,
Harper's Magazine,
22 May 2024
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Plus, Shin Ha-young is given little to do in the second half of the series despite her effortless shift from warm third wheel to harrowed and weary abuse victim.—
Geoffrey Bunting,
Rolling Stone,
26 Oct. 2023
Thesaurus Entries Near fallow
Cite this Entry
“Fallow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fallow. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
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