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mow down

 - 4 dictionary results

mow

1  [moh] verb, mowed, mowed or mown, mow⋅ing.
Use mow down in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to cut down (grass, grain, etc.) with a scythe or a machine.
2. to cut grass, grain, etc., from: to mow the lawn.
–verb (used without object)
3. to cut down grass, grain, etc.
—Verb phrase
4. mow down,
a. to destroy or kill indiscriminately or in great numbers, as troops in battle.
b. to defeat, overwhelm, or overcome: The team mowed down its first four opponents.
c. to knock down.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME mowen, OE māwan; c. G mähen
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To mow down
mow 2   (mō)   
v.   mowed, mowed or mown (mōn), mow·ing, mows

v.   tr.

  1. To cut down (grass or grain) with a scythe or a mechanical device.

  2. To cut (grass or grain) from: mow the lawn.

v.   intr.
To cut down grass or other growth.
Phrasal Verb(s):
mow down

  1. To destroy in great numbers as if cutting down, as in battle.

  2. To overwhelm: mowed down the opposition with strong arguments.


[Middle English mowen, from Old English māwan; see mē-4 in Indo-European roots.]
mow'er (mō'ər) n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

mow  (n.)
"stack of hay," O.E. muga, muwa "a heap, swath of corn, crowd of people," earlier muha, from P.Gmc. *mugon (cf. O.N. mugr "a heap," mostr "crowd").
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

mow down

  1. Destroy in great numbers, especially in battle, as in The machine gun mowed them down as they advanced. [Late 1500s]

  2. 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.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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