as in cultivating
to work by plowing, sowing, and raising crops on
farmers tilling the soil from sunup to sunset
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Recent Examples of tilling
Prepare the soil through core aeration or tilling 4 to 6 inches deep.
—
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 8 Oct. 2025
The disease presents growing risks not just for agricultural workers accustomed to tilling soil but also for those who move to new suburban developments or spend the weekend on a golf trip in a region where the fungus is present.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2025
Farmlands to wetlands George Tibbitts mostly farms rice, but his son Carson was tilling a safflower field on one mid-August morning.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025
The fragrance of dry grass mingled in the air with the dust kicked up by a tractor tilling in the distance.
—Elena Valeriote, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Mother Ezumi then called out the names of four other Sisters who would remain on the campus with the junior novices as a faculty skeleton crew, with the former attending to school administration and the latter engaged in their customary truck patch tilling.
—Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2025
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 8 Oct. 2025
The disease presents growing risks not just for agricultural workers accustomed to tilling soil but also for those who move to new suburban developments or spend the weekend on a golf trip in a region where the fungus is present.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2025
Farmlands to wetlands George Tibbitts mostly farms rice, but his son Carson was tilling a safflower field on one mid-August morning.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025
The fragrance of dry grass mingled in the air with the dust kicked up by a tractor tilling in the distance.
—Elena Valeriote, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Mother Ezumi then called out the names of four other Sisters who would remain on the campus with the junior novices as a faculty skeleton crew, with the former attending to school administration and the latter engaged in their customary truck patch tilling.
—Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tilling
Verb
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The Ohio State team specifically focused on shiitake and button mushrooms, cultivating the fungi before dehydrating them for long-term viability.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Oct. 2025
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Moreover, there is magic in cultivating patience.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Kane was given antibiotics after being bitten on the elbow while farming in Shrewsbury, Shropshire.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
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Anyone farming more than two acres on land with a non-exempt well would need to report their water use.—
Clara Migoya,
AZCentral.com,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Action as an Anchor Under the Minnesota Valley Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America, Green Crew puts teenagers in charge of conservation projects — from planting trees to monitoring water quality — with adults serving in advisory roles.—
Melissa Jun Rowley,
Rolling Stone,
28 Oct. 2025
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Topdressing with compost in the fall creates better soil for planting next year.—
Erica Browne Grivas,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As temperatures begin to cool, your gardening to-do list may include harvesting herbs that won’t survive impending freezing weather.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
22 Oct. 2025
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When harvesting the nuts, pickers should wear gloves to protect their hands from the walnuts' juice, which will stain hands.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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On the surface, Çiftlik Bank—Turkish for Farm Bank—was little more than a FarmVille rip-off; the functionality for tending to digital crops and livestock was lifted more or less straight from their competitor.—
Moisés Naím,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
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Isaac, who studied viticulture and enology at Washington State University, is in charge of tending to the vines.—
Lauren Green,
FOXNews.com,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tilling. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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