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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fallow
Ilana Masad, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2025
Glastonbury previously announced that 2026 will be a fallow year, meaning that a festival won’t be held, making demand for next summer’s event even higher.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 26 Nov. 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
In Wide Sargasso Sea, Bertha is imagined as a girl originally named Antoinette, raised in Jamaica on a fallow sugar plantation after the abolition of British slavery.
—Ilana Masad, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2025
Glastonbury previously announced that 2026 will be a fallow year, meaning that a festival won’t be held, making demand for next summer’s event even higher.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 26 Nov. 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
-
Wait for the fig plant to go dormant before moving it indoors.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
12 Feb. 2025
-
Listen to this article During his dormant rookie season, Jalen Pickett occasionally played one-on-one against Jamal Murray.—
Bennett Durando,
The Denver Post,
11 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Trashing Yard Waste Every fall, gardeners and homeowners head out into their yards to rake their lawns and pile autumn leaves in trash bags on the curb.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 Feb. 2025
-
Use the tine side for raking debris into piles and for rough grading and then flip the rake over and use the bow side for smoothing.—
Joshua Siskin,
Orange County Register,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The companies are also planning another event in December for athletes in leagues that are in their off seasons at the time, like the WNBA, NWSL, and MLB.—
Alex Weprin,
The Hollywood Reporter,
6 Feb. 2025
-
There will likely come a time in the postseason when one of TCU’s big three is having an off night and Emma-Nnopu could be the player that can step up in that moment.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
Slowly, the trail widened with signs of civilization: hoed rows of plantings, waxy horses.—
Kayla Aletha Welch,
Longreads,
19 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
Previous fires at the building, which has been vacant for several years, have been attributed to squatters.—
Harry Harris,
The Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2025
-
The office, however, would officially be vacant, and Williams would need to call a special election within 80 days to elect a new mayor for the rest of Adams’ term, which runs through the end of the calendar year.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
TIME,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The complaint lists various burglaries from October to December last year.—
Karina Tsui,
CNN,
19 Feb. 2025
-
That place, however, will dig deeper into your bank accounts: the spectacular penthouse pad, which takes up the tower’s 49th and 50th floors and comes with a 116-foot terrace and a private elevator, has been up for grabs since May 2023, listed for a whopping $38 million.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Robinson believe that the idle tower somehow was re energized at the start of the fire.—
Salvador Hernandez,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2025
-
On the day the city posted signs on Chynoweth, 32 vehicles, including 21 RVs, sat idle on the street.—
Devan Patel,
The Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Fallow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fallow. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share