weed

1 of 3

noun (1)

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)
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

Examples of weed in a Sentence

Verb We need to weed the garden.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Mindful of the heat to come, several workers are already weeding, and Ms. Mason – her daily meditation and yoga done – is ready for a busy day. Melanie Stetson Freeman, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Jan. 2024 No insecticides are allowed; all weeding must be done by hand or with a natural insecticide such as neem oil or insecticidal soap, which garden managers have taught some neighbors how to make. Page Leggett, Charlotte Observer, 1 Feb. 2024 Projects range from gardening and weeding at Grape Day Park, donating men’s clothing for folks in need, cleaning up the Escondido Bike Trail and downtown areas, cheering for kids at a sports clinic, and signing thank-you posters for firefighters and police. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Jan. 2024 Besides watering and fertilizing, vertical plant walls require other maintenance, including pruning, dusting, weeding, and, sometimes, plant replacement. Deb Wiley, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Jan. 2024 Here's a look at the results: Should weed/marijuana be legal in Indiana? Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 17 Jan. 2024 This weeding tool features a bamboo handle and a four-claw steel end to grab onto weeds. Renee Freemon Mulvihill, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Aug. 2023 Fortunately, weeding them out isn’t too difficult, and there are ways to attempt the task on both Android and iOS that don’t take a huge amount of time or effort. David Nield, Popular Science, 3 Jan. 2024 But then the storms hit, turning the dirt road outside her trailer into a muddy lagoon and sinking her hopes of weeding peppers and other crops beginning in September. Rebecca Plevin, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2023
Noun
Wenger and others in the almond business have noticed some orchards abandoned in parts of the Central Valley over the last year, with rows of unkempt trees now filled with weeds. Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2024 For the past decade, Kacey Musgraves has been country music’s most daring traditionalist — a small-town realist who’s also a campy country-disco queen and a folkie who once wrote a song about smoking weed with John Prine. Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2024 In a cover story interview with The Cut, the country star, 35, revealed that contrary to the image she's become synonymous with, she's stopped smoking weed. Ilana Kaplan, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024 The opposition counters that decriminalizing weed will be harmful to young people and increase the burden on police. Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 But the explosion of unlicensed weed stores in New York City is unparalleled. Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 Visitors should keep an eye out for the nursery’s chickens, which help keep pests and weeds away, as well as the garden cat, Critter, who can be seen wandering around the shop. Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Feb. 2024 Cannabis-alcohol crossovers are a popular concept—popular enough that they were discussed in a seminar at last year’s California Craft Beer Summit in Sacramento, in preparation for the state’s legalization of recreational weed on Jan. 1, 2018. Michael McGough, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024 There's some evidence that weed users tend to be more empathetic, and researchers found that elderly mice get a mental boost from the drug. Jesse Greenspan, Scientific American, 20 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'weed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of weed was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near weed

Cite this Entry

“Weed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weed. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

weed

1 of 2 noun
: 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

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