weed

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈwēd 

1

a(1)

: a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth

especially : one that tends to overgrow or choke out more desirable plants

(2)

: a weedy growth of plants

b

: an aquatic plant

especially : seaweed

c(1)

: tobacco products

(2)

: marijuana

2

a

: an obnoxious growth, thing, or person

b

: something like a weed in detrimental quality

especially : an animal unfit to breed from

weed

2 of 3

verb

weeded; weeding; weeds

intransitive verb

: to remove weeds or something harmful

transitive verb

1

a

: to clear of weeds

weed a garden

b(1)

: to free from something hurtful or offensive

(2)

: to remove the less desirable portions of

2

: to get rid of (something harmful or superfluous)

—often used with out

weed

3 of 3

noun (2)

1

: garment

—often used in plural

2

a

: dress worn as a sign of mourning (as by a widow)

—usually used in plural

b

: a band of crape worn on a man's hat as a sign of mourning

—usually used in plural

Synonyms of weed

Noun (2)

• clothes
• clothing
• attire
• dress
• garments

Examples of weed in a Sentence

Verb

We need to weed the garden.

Noun (2)

a poor, miserable beggar clad in tattered weeds

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In recent days, the property remained largely fallow, other than the thick underbrush and countless weeds that choked the site, which is about one-third of an acre in size, this news organization’s direct observation of the property shows. — George Avalos, Mercury News, 24 June 2026

Local resident Nada Marinkovic said everything must be cleared by hand of weeds and grass. — ABC News, 24 June 2026

Verb

Editor Picks One way to weed through the pages and pages of deals is going straight to the Vogue editor picks section, to see what the team has hand-plucked across all categories. — Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 25 June 2026

Grab it now at Amazon, and check out more of our favorite weeding tools below. — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English wēod weed, herb; akin to Old Saxon wiod weed

Noun (2)

Middle English wede, from Old English wǣd, gewǣde; akin to Old Norse vāth cloth, clothing and perhaps to Lithuanian austi to weave

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing weed

• butterfly weed
• dill weed
• grow like a weed
• joe-pye weed
• Klamath weed
• rattlesnake weed
• the weed
• weed out

Rhymes for weed

• bead
• bleed
• brede
• breed
• cede
• creed
• deed
• feed
• freed
• greed
• heed
• keyed

Kids Definition

weed

1 of 2 noun

ˈwēd 

: a plant that tends to grow thickly where it is not wanted and to choke out more desirable plants

weed

2 of 2 verb

1

: to remove weeds from

weed a garden

2

: to get rid of (something unwanted)

weed out the troublemakers

weeder noun