To mow means to cut grass or grain with a blade or machine. When you mow the lawn, you're trimming the grass to keep it neat and even, usually with a lawnmower that has spinning blades underneath. Before machines existed, farmers would mow wheat fields with long, curved blades called scythes, swinging them in wide arcs to cut the stalks.

The word also appears in the phrase mow down, which means to knock over or destroy many things at once, like dominoes falling in a line. A strong gust of wind might mow down a row of young corn plants, or a talented soccer player might mow down defenders on the way to the goal.