hoe
hoe — noun
- hoesingular
- hoesplural
1. a gardening tool that has a long wooden or metal handle and a flat metal blade a
a gardening tool that has a long wooden or metal handle and a flat metal blade at the end, used for turning over earth or cutting unwanted plants from the ground
Marco grabbed his old hoe from the garden shed and headed out to the vegetable patch.
possessive + adjective + hoe (his old hoe)
The blade of Jin's hoe needed sharpening after a long morning of clearing weeds.
hoe + noun modifier (blade of Jin's hoe)
Charlotte bought a new hoe with a longer handle to avoid bending over so much.
Anjali's wooden hoe handle broke while she was trying to dig up a stubborn root.
- use a hoe
- garden hoe
- old hoe
- wooden hoe
- metal hoe
- blade of the hoe
- trowel
a smaller handheld tool for digging, not for standing work
- cultivator
a tool or machine with prongs for breaking up soil, often larger than a hoe
Grammar Patterns
a hoe
[possessive] + hoe
adjective + hoe
Usage Note
Can be described by adjectives about its material or condition: old hoe, metal hoe, wooden hoe, rusty hoe.
Common Mistakes
2. a less common spelling of the exclamation 'ho', used to express surprise, call a
a less common spelling of the exclamation 'ho', used to express surprise, call attention, or show excitement
The old sailor shouted 'Hoe, hoe!' as the ship pulled into port.
repeated exclamation: 'Hoe, hoe!'
In the story, the farmer cried 'Hoe there!' to greet his neighbor across the field.
The children laughed and yelled 'Hoe! Hoe!' while playing pirates in the backyard.
repeated exclamation in playful context
'Hoe, stop right there!' the guard shouted at the stranger approaching the gate.
Usage Note
This spelling is considered old-fashioned or dialectal. In modern English writing, the standard form is 'ho'.
hoe — verb
- hoepresent simple I / you / we / they
- hoes3rd person singular
- hoeing-ing form
- hoedpast simple
1. to break up the ground around plants, remove wild growth, or prepare garden soil
to break up the ground around plants, remove wild growth, or prepare garden soil using a hoe
Tomás spent Saturday morning hoeing the vegetable beds before the rain arrived.
hoeing + direct object (the vegetable beds)
Padma carefully hoed around the young tomato plants to avoid damaging their roots.
After the weeds grew back, Emre had to hoe the entire garden again.
Ayana prefers to hoe the soil when it is slightly damp rather than bone dry.
hoe + the soil + time condition (when it is damp)
- hoe the garden
- hoe the soil
- hoe around plants
- hoe carefully
- hoe thoroughly
Grammar Patterns
hoe + noun phrase (ground / weeds / garden bed)
hoe (no object) — describing the general activity
Usage Note
The object is usually the ground, a garden bed, or weeds. Frequently appears with adverbs of manner such as carefully, gently, or thoroughly.
Common Mistakes
Etymology
The word hoe comes from Old English hō, which traces back to a common Germanic root for cutting or digging tools. It is related to Dutch houw and German Hacke, both referring to a chopping or digging implement.
First known use
14th century
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb