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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fallow
Chandler Rome, New York Times, 7 May 2025
Yet fallow fields in the arid climate of western Australia can sit almost unchanged for close to a century.
—Bydan Charles, science.org, 2 Jan. 2025
Laura Reiley, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Sep. 2022
Compromising probably would require money — perhaps tax money — to pay farmers to fallow their land and governments to build new canals and repair old ones.
—Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for fallow
Adjective
Brice Matthews, now the top position player prospect in this fallow farm system, has played better at Triple-A across the past two weeks, but is nowhere near forcing the organization’s hand for a major-league call-up.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 7 May 2025
Yet fallow fields in the arid climate of western Australia can sit almost unchanged for close to a century.
—Bydan Charles, science.org, 2 Jan. 2025
Verb
Many growers decided to fallow their fields and sell their water to perennial crops like almonds to defray their losses.
—Laura Reiley, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Sep. 2022
Compromising probably would require money — perhaps tax money — to pay farmers to fallow their land and governments to build new canals and repair old ones.
—Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for fallow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fallow
Adjective
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Summer heat and dry conditions slow down turfgrass growth; drought-tolerant grass turns dormant, a natural protective response to adverse conditions.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 June 2025
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While most hosts of the parasite can control the initial infection with few if any symptoms, Toxoplasma remains in the body for life as dormant cysts in brain, heart and muscle tissue.—
Bill Sullivan,
The Conversation,
28 May 2025
Verb
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Although most of its worst winds were to the east, Dorian raked the Outer Banks with wind gusts of over 100 mph, before returning to the Atlantic Ocean, the hurricane center reported.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
6 June 2025
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Hendry went for the Standing Ovation before Williams raked his eyes.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
26 May 2025
Adjective
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For those who aren’t seeking beach time, the island also was praised for offering historic sites, golf courses and other off-shore activities.—
Simone Jasper,
Miami Herald,
3 June 2025
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After an off day Thursday, the Arizona Diamondbacks come to GABP for three games.—
C. Trent Rosecrans,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
Verb
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Wayward rhizomes that pop up as new plants can be hoed or chopped.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 Mar. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Housing has emerged as a key issue in this year’s mayoral race as the city reels from skyrocketing rents and a dearth of vacant apartments, and there’s widespread agreement more units must be built.—
Chris Sommerfeldt,
New York Daily News,
6 June 2025
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Hartford Prints! has taken over a vacant storefront next door, has broken down a wall and joined the two spaces.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
1 June 2025
Verb
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Teel, 23, is ranked the No. 2 prospect in the Sox organization by MLB.com, which also lists him as the No. 26 prospect in baseball.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
7 June 2025
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The size of the changes varies a lot from game to game, and the console still lists them as original Switch games.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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In a busy warehouse, for instance, human workers and multiple robots performing different tasks—often from different vendors—need a unified system that ensures smooth collaboration, avoiding collisions and idle time.—
Florian Pestoni,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
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The result is that homes are sitting idle on the market, forcing sellers to offer price cuts to lure in buyers.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 June 2025
Verb
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Before the big race, the track was harrowed, bringing it to a better and drier racing surface.—
John Cherwa,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Fallow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fallow. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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