wheat

noun

ˈ(h)wēt 

often attributive

1

: a cereal grain that yields a fine white flour used chiefly in breads, baked goods (such as cakes and crackers), and pastas (such as macaroni or spaghetti), and is important in animal feeds

2

: any of various Old World annual grasses (genus Triticum, especially T. aestivum and T. turgidum) of wide climatic adaptability that are cultivated in most temperate areas for the wheat they yield

3

: a light yellow

Examples of wheat in a Sentence

a turkey sandwich on wheat

Recent Examples on the Web

That legacy was disrupted in the early 1600s, when the Venetians uprooted much of the island’s vineyard land to make way for wheat cultivation. — Monica Mendal, Vogue, 10 Aug. 2026

Researchers found microscopic residue inside pottery vessels, shedding light on how people brewed beer-like drinks from millet, rice, wheat and barley more than 3,000 years ago. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2026

In my childhood, the season began with asparagus and strawberries ready to harvest by the armful, then soybeans growing taller in the fields while the winter wheat turned its famous amber shades. — Casey Cep, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2026

In the southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa, local officials said that at least one person was killed and three other people injured in a Russian attack on a ship carrying wheat. — David Brennan, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English whete, going back to Old English hwǣte, going back to Germanic *hwaitja- (whence also Old Frisian wēt "wheat," Old Saxon hwēti, Middle Dutch weit, weite, Old High German hweizi, weizi, Old Icelandic hveiti, Gothic ƕaiteis "cereal grain"), collective derivative from the stem of *hwīta- white entry 1; probably so called from the light color of the ripe ears or the flour made from it

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing wheat

• durum wheat
• hard wheat
• red wheat
• separate the wheat from the chaff
• shredded wheat
• soft wheat
• wheat berry
• wheat bread
• wheat cake
• wheat germ
• wheat rust
• whole wheat

Rhymes for wheat

• beat
• beet
• bleat
• cheat
• cleat
• creat
• deet
• eat
• feat
• feet
• fleet
• greet

Kids Definition

wheat

noun

ˈhwēt 

ˈwēt

1

: a cereal grain that can be made into a fine white flour used mostly in breads, baked goods (as cakes and crackers), and pastas (as macaroni or spaghetti) and that is used in animal feeds

2

: any of a genus of grasses grown in most temperate areas for the wheat they produce

especially : a grass with long dense flower spikes and white to dark red grains that is the chief source of wheat and is known only in cultivation