: one of the slender bristles that terminate the glumes of the spikelet in some cereal and other grasses
Examples of awn in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
According to Valliere, people and pets should avoid coming in contact with several invasive plants in California, including:
Certain grasses, which produce long awns and seeds that can irritate skin, get stuck in pets’ fur, and cause discomfort for both animals and humans.
—
Sacbee.com, 14 July 2025
These grasses have seed awns with a sharp, pointed shape, resembling the tail of a fox, hence the name.
—Lisa Bloch, The Mercury News, 21 May 2024
According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), foxtail grass awns can be found throughout North America, particularly from May to December.
—Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 21 July 2023
Smallholding farmers of West Bengal and Jharkhand prefer varieties with long and strong awns (spine-like projections at the end of the hull), which deter grazing by cattle and goats.
—Debal Deb, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2019
These grasses have bushy florets hosting grass awns, seeds with a sharp appendage meant to burrow into the ground.
—Molly Korzenowski, Twin Cities, 3 Sep. 2019
Aesthetics is yet another value that indigenous farmers cherish, cultivating certain landraces simply for their beautiful colors or patterns: gold, brown, purple and black furrows on yellow hulls, purple apexes, black awns, and so on.
—Debal Deb, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2019
Plant these natives to make an interesting meadow: purple three awn (Aristida purpurea), nodding needle grass (Stipa cernua), deer grass (Muhlenbergia rigens) and wild oat grass (Elymus condensatus)
15.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Oct. 2019
The barbed seed awn sticks to their coats and can work their way into ears, eyes, noses or paws.
—Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2019
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Sacbee.com, 14 July 2025
These grasses have seed awns with a sharp, pointed shape, resembling the tail of a fox, hence the name.
—Lisa Bloch, The Mercury News, 21 May 2024
According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), foxtail grass awns can be found throughout North America, particularly from May to December.
—Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 21 July 2023
Smallholding farmers of West Bengal and Jharkhand prefer varieties with long and strong awns (spine-like projections at the end of the hull), which deter grazing by cattle and goats.
—Debal Deb, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2019
These grasses have bushy florets hosting grass awns, seeds with a sharp appendage meant to burrow into the ground.
—Molly Korzenowski, Twin Cities, 3 Sep. 2019
Aesthetics is yet another value that indigenous farmers cherish, cultivating certain landraces simply for their beautiful colors or patterns: gold, brown, purple and black furrows on yellow hulls, purple apexes, black awns, and so on.
—Debal Deb, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2019
Plant these natives to make an interesting meadow: purple three awn (Aristida purpurea), nodding needle grass (Stipa cernua), deer grass (Muhlenbergia rigens) and wild oat grass (Elymus condensatus)
15.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Oct. 2019
The barbed seed awn sticks to their coats and can work their way into ears, eyes, noses or paws.
—Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Awn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/awn. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
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