hay
1 of 2noun
ˈhā 
1
: herbage and especially grass mowed and cured for fodder
2
: reward
3
slang : bed
4
: a small sum of money
a saving of … $14 million is not hay
H. C. Schonberg
H. C. Schonberghay
2 of 2verb
hayed; haying; hays
intransitive verb
: to cut, cure, and store hay
transitive verb
: to feed with hay
Synonyms
Noun
- chicken feed [slang]
- chump change
- dime
- mite
- peanuts
- pin money
- pittance
- shoestring
- song
- two cents
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun their credit card debt isn't hay—it'll take years to pay it off dragging myself out of the hay on such a cold, dreary morning seemed like an act of sheer masochism
Recent Examples on the Web Steve Adelman, Rolling Stone, 18 Aug. 2022 Visitors come decked out in costumes, decorate campsites and enjoy trick-or-treating, hay rides, pumpkin carving and contests. Tanya Wildt, Detroit Free Press, 10 Aug. 2022 Plus, pumpkin patches usually have other fun attractions like hay rides or a corn maze that provide excellent photo ops. Maggie Horton, Country Living, 20 July 2022 Make your hay early Going outward on The Old Course has been a much easier journey than when players turn around and come back to the 18th hole. Steve Dimeglio, USA TODAY, 16 July 2022 Some protesters have escalated their actions, dumping manure on major highways and setting hay bales on fire. Lucy Papachristou, WSJ, 5 Aug. 2022 After all, fall is an ideal time to pull out all the stops with gourds, hay bales, cornstalks, fall mums, and more. Amy Mitchell, Country Living, 18 July 2022 From sheep-herding trials and Barn Hunt (an event that challenges dogs to sniff out fake rats in hay bales) to choreographed dance, canine sports run the gamut from the conceivably practical to the totally whimsical. Outside Online, 5 July 2022 Other outlets instantly picked up and made hay over the choice of words. Kim Masters, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 July 2022 Gabriela Miranda, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2022 Three Kings Day, normally celebrated Jan. 6, is loaded with customs such as leaving grass or hay out for the three wise men in exchange for a gift. Rick Barrett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2022 North Dakota ranchers usually aren’t allowed to hay that land until after Aug. 1, when nesting season ends, to protect wildlife populations. From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 23 July 2021 North Dakota ranchers all summer have been seeking federal government permission to also hay that land. From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 26 July 2021 The fields are still hayed and a small herd of cattle often draws visits from people driving along a busy Route 151. Peter Marteka, Courant Community, 18 Aug. 2017 Seybolt used the Belgians to hay, spread manure and log. Denise Coffey, Courant Community, 3 May 2017 See More
Noun
Not helping matters was band management, who, also seeing the opportunity to make hay, were asking double their acts’ going rates. Steve Adelman, Rolling Stone, 18 Aug. 2022 Visitors come decked out in costumes, decorate campsites and enjoy trick-or-treating, hay rides, pumpkin carving and contests. Tanya Wildt, Detroit Free Press, 10 Aug. 2022 Plus, pumpkin patches usually have other fun attractions like hay rides or a corn maze that provide excellent photo ops. Maggie Horton, Country Living, 20 July 2022 Make your hay early Going outward on The Old Course has been a much easier journey than when players turn around and come back to the 18th hole. Steve Dimeglio, USA TODAY, 16 July 2022 Some protesters have escalated their actions, dumping manure on major highways and setting hay bales on fire. Lucy Papachristou, WSJ, 5 Aug. 2022 After all, fall is an ideal time to pull out all the stops with gourds, hay bales, cornstalks, fall mums, and more. Amy Mitchell, Country Living, 18 July 2022 From sheep-herding trials and Barn Hunt (an event that challenges dogs to sniff out fake rats in hay bales) to choreographed dance, canine sports run the gamut from the conceivably practical to the totally whimsical. Outside Online, 5 July 2022 Other outlets instantly picked up and made hay over the choice of words. Kim Masters, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 July 2022 Verb
The holiday is loaded with customs such as leaving grass or hay out for the three kings in exchange for a gift. Gabriela Miranda, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2022 Three Kings Day, normally celebrated Jan. 6, is loaded with customs such as leaving grass or hay out for the three wise men in exchange for a gift. Rick Barrett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2022 North Dakota ranchers usually aren’t allowed to hay that land until after Aug. 1, when nesting season ends, to protect wildlife populations. From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 23 July 2021 North Dakota ranchers all summer have been seeking federal government permission to also hay that land. From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 26 July 2021 The fields are still hayed and a small herd of cattle often draws visits from people driving along a busy Route 151. Peter Marteka, Courant Community, 18 Aug. 2017 Seybolt used the Belgians to hay, spread manure and log. Denise Coffey, Courant Community, 3 May 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English hey, from Old English hīeg; akin to Old High German hewi hay, Old English hēawan to hew
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1535, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Phrases Containing hay
Kids Definition
hay 1 of 2
noun
ˈhā
: any of various herbs (as grasses) cut and dried for use as food for animals
bales of hay
hay
2 of 2verb
hayed; haying
: to cut plants for hay
Geographical Definition
Hay
geographical name
ˈhā
river 530 miles (853 kilometers) long in northern Alberta and the southern Northwest Territories, Canada, flowing northeast into Great Slave Lake
Biographical Definition
Hay
biographical name
ˈhā
John Milton 1838–1905 American statesman
hay 1 of 2
noun
1
as in peanuts
a very small sum of money their credit card debt isn't hay—it'll take years to pay it off Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- peanuts
- dime
- mite
- two cents
- pin money
- chicken feed
- shoestring
- pittance
- pocket money
- petty cash
- chump change
- spending money
- song
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- mint
- bundle
- wad
- funds
- fortune
- capital
- means
- boodle
- pile
- bankroll
- riches
- treasure
- wealth
- heap
- pelf
- megabuck(s)
- wherewithal
- pot
- opulence
- big buck(s)
- king's ransom
- mine
- bonanza
- treasure trove
- treasury
2
as in bed
slang a place set aside for sleeping dragging myself out of the hay on such a cold, dreary morning seemed like an act of sheer masochism Synonyms & Similar Words
- bed
- bunk
- sack
- mattress
- couch
- sofa
- doss
- kip
- pallet
- crib
- rack
- bedstead
- futon
- pad
- cot
- hammock
- lair
- daybed
- water bed
- studio couch
- sofa bed
- bunk bed
- bassinet
- trundle bed
- four-poster
- cradle
- sleigh bed
- feather bed
- carry-cot
- Murphy bed
- shakedown
hay
2 of 2verb
as in to forage
Synonyms & Similar Words
- forage
- net
- mow
- crop
- cut
- trap
- bag
- hunt
- fish
- harvest
- capture
- glean
- accumulate
- snare
- shrimp
- grow
- seal
- garner
- whale
- clam
- pick
- raise
- reap
- gather
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- sow
- plant
- seed