Skip to content
HOW TO PRONOUNCE

hoe

/hoʊ/

Press play to hear how to pronounce hoe.

American Pronunciation Guide · 1:05
Watch on YouTube ↗

What does hoe mean?

noun

  1. An agricultural and horticultural hand tool consisting of a long handle with a flat blade fixed perpendicular to it at the end, used for digging rows or removing weeds by hand.
  2. Any of several implements or machines usually called by their more specific names, for example, backhoe.

verb

  1. To cut, dig, scrape, turn, arrange, or clean, with this tool.
More meanings (7)

verb

  1. To clear from weeds, or to loosen or arrange the earth about, with a hoe.
  2. (slang) Alternative spelling of ho (“to prostitute”).

noun

  1. A piece of land that juts out towards the sea; a promontory.
  2. The horned or piked dogfish, Squalus acanthias.
  3. (derogatory, slang) Alternative spelling of ho (“whore, prostitute”).

proper noun

  1. A village and civil parish in Breckland district, Norfolk, England (OS grid ref TF995211).
  2. A surname.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/hoʊ/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

As he grew older he rode the horse in plowing corn, raked hay, wielded the shovel and the hoe, and chopped wood.
Joel BentonA Unique Story of a Marvellous Career: Life of Hon. Phineas T. BarnumProject Gutenberg ebook #1576
Then shallowly hoe the soil every day or two to encourage the surface inches to dry out and form a dust mulch.
Steve SolomonGardening without irrigation : $b or without much, anywayProject Gutenberg ebook #4512
More book examples (3)
In many places plants have been grown in rows so far apart that a man with a hoe could pass between them.
John Andreas WidtsoeDry-Farming : A System of Agriculture for Countries under a Low RainfallProject Gutenberg ebook #4924
In subsequent culture little more is required than keeping the MERE SURFACE stirred with a hoe, and the rows clean of weeds.
Edward Payson RoeThe Home AcreProject Gutenberg ebook #5418
Valuable as the wheel hoe is, however, and varied in its scope of work, the time-tried hoe cannot be entirely dispensed with.
F. F. (Frederick Frye) RockwellHome Vegetable Gardening A Complete and Practical Guide to the Planting and Care of All Vegetables, Fruits and Berries Worth Growing for Home UseProject Gutenberg ebook #7123