scythe

1 of 2

noun

ˈsīṯẖ  ˈsī 

: an implement used for mowing grass, grain, or other crops and composed of a long curving blade fastened at an angle to a long handle

Illustration of scythe

scythe

2 of 2

verb

scythed; scything

intransitive verb

: to use a scythe

transitive verb

: to cut with or as if with a scythe

scything cornstalks

Examples of scythe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The tech bros brought a budgetary scythe to the party. —Philip Elliott, Time, 7 July 2025

Putting the bully in bully pulpit, Trump escalates in L.A. rather than seeking calm June 9, 2025 That mission has become more difficult of late as the Trump administration takes a scythe to the nation’s social safety net. —Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025

Verb

President Trump is intent on mowing down the remaining restrictions on executive power, and a series of cases awaiting the Supreme Court could scythe through many of the few remaining authorities Congress keeps for itself. —Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 30 May 2025

The other, the furor over Elon Musk’s role in trying to scythe down the size of the federal government, has more in common with the reality TV-style drama that always surrounds Trump. —Niall Stanage, The Hill, 25 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English sithe, from Old English sīthe; akin to Old English sagu saw — more at saw

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1580, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for scythe

• blithe
• lithe
• tithe
• writhe
• wythe

Kids Definition

scythe

noun

ˈsīt͟h,

sī

: a tool that has a curved blade on a long curved handle and is used for mowing grass or grain by hand