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

Noun (2)

• apparel
• attire
• clobber [British slang]
• clothes
• clothing
• costumery
• dress
• duds
• garments
• gear
• habiliment(s)
• habit [archaic]
• rags
• raiment
• rig
• rigging
• threads
• toggery
• togs
• vestiary
• vestments
• vesture
• wear
• wearables

Examples of weed in a Sentence

Verb

We need to weed the garden.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

And for more hacks to common gardening problems, shop more handy weeding tools below. —Stephanie Osmanski, Southern Living, 3 May 2024

Wishlists can now be shared With 7 million global listings to weed through to find a dream stay, Chesky said that most people don’t immediately book a home, and instead save listings using the wishlist function. —Rachel Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 May 2024

And robots have been trained to weed organic farms. —Whitney Eulich, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Apr. 2024

During this project, volunteers will be mulching, weeding and removing invasive species from the Green Space. —Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Apr. 2024

That applies in Trump's case, too, and is the primary way that the court will weed candidates out. —Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024

So the reading glasses weren't for reading as much as for other daily tasks, like threading a needle, quickly figuring out change at a cash register or weeding and sorting grain on a family farm. —Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 3 Apr. 2024

Routine tasks such as weeding in the backyard now leave him gasping for air after 40 minutes. —The Arizona Republic, 7 Apr. 2024

Gardening Products Recommended by Wirecutter Trying to cut down on weeding time? —Michael Snyder Pedro Kok, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024

Noun

But advocates for marijuana legalization hope a federal regulatory shift could eventually change the minds — and votes — of some state policymakers who have been reluctant to embrace weed. —David A. Lieb, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2024

Between 1995 and 2011, support for legal weed doubled from one-quarter of U.S. adults to one-half. —David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2024

Dealing with unwanted weeds comes with the territory of being an avid gardener, but weeds that grow through hard-to-reach crevices are a whole other beast. —Stephanie Osmanski, Southern Living, 3 May 2024

Depending on the area, some weed dispensaries may be subjected to taxes up to 40%. —Gillian Brassil, Sacramento Bee, 3 May 2024

Some legalization advocates say rescheduling weed is too incremental. —Jennifer Peltz and Lindsay Whitehurst, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 May 2024

All the while, her mother insists that a positive attitude is more important than any minor speed bump like your parents and grandmother moving in with you or a house that now smells constantly of medicinal weed. —Olivia Waite, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024

Real Estate Witch and Leafly, an online cannabis guide and marketplace, analyzed 50 of the largest metropolitan cities in the United States and ranked them as the best — and worst — cities for weed. —Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 22 Apr. 2024

These maps show which states have legalized recreational or medical marijuana or decriminalized weed as of 2024. —Kerry Breen, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2024

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

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