hay Hear it!

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hay1 definition

hay (hā)

noun

  1. grass, alfalfa, clover, etc. cut and dried for use as fodder
  2. Slang bed, often, specif., as a place for sexual intercourse
  3. ☆ Slang a small amount, esp. of money a hundred dollars ain't hay

Etymology: ME hei < OE hieg (akin to Ger heu) < base of OE heawan, to cut: see hew

intransitive verb

to mow grass, alfalfa, etc., and spread it out to dry

transitive verb

  1. to furnish with hay
  2. to grow grass on (land) for hay
hay Idioms

hit the hay

☆
Slang to go to bed to sleep

make hay

  1. to mow grass, alfalfa, etc., and spread it out to dry
  2. to make the most of an opportunity

make hay (out) of

to turn (something) to one's advantage

make hay while the sun shines

to make the most of an opportunity
hay2 definition

hay (hā)

noun

an old country dance with much winding in and out

Etymology: OFr haye

Hay definition

Hay (hā)

Hay, John (Milton) 1838-1905; U.S. statesman & writer: secretary of state (1898-1905)

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms hay idiom

hay Synonyms

hay

n.

provender, fodder, roughage, forage, feed; see also grass 1.

Types of hay include: red clover, wild hay, timothy, sweetgrass, alsike, sweet clover, soybeans, swamp hay, alfalfa, oat hay, millet.

hit the hay*

go to bed, rest, recline; see sleep.

make hay out of

profit by, utilize, turn to one's advantage; see use 1.

make hay while the sun shines

opportunize, take advantage, make the most of an opportunity; see use 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

hay Usage Examples

Preposition: while

  • shine: But take it today and'make hay while the sun shines ' because who knows what will happen tomorrow?

Converse of object

  • mow: What you smell as a rose, I may smell as mown hay.

Adjective modifier

  • contaminated: Notes: Does not lose its toxicity after drying and storage and contaminated hay has caused many problems.

Modifies a noun

  • fever: The hay fever season is a common time for asthma to get worse.

Noun used with modifier

  • timothy: Try encouraging your rabbit by putting some of his or her droppings into the box or try using timothy hay or treats.
hay usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

hay quotes

It fell about the Lammas tide, When the muir-men win their hay, The doughty Douglas bound him to ride Into England, to drive a prey.

-Ballads

You will eat, byand by, In that glorious land above the sky; Work and pray, live on hay, You'll get pie in the sky when you die.

-Hill,Joe originally Joel Ha«  gglund

All through that summer at ease we lay, And daily from the turret wall We watched the mowers in the hay And the enemy half a mile away. They seemed no threat to us at all.

-Muir, Edwin

hay quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"hay." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/hay>

APA Style

hay. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/hay

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