plant

\ ˈplant

How to pronounce plant (audio)

\

planted; planting; plants

Definition of plant

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to put or set in the ground for growth plant seeds

b : to set or sow with seeds or plants

2a : establish, institute

b : colonize, settle

c : to place (animals) in a new locality

d : to stock with animals

3a : to place in or on the ground

b : to place firmly or forcibly planted a hard blow on his chin

b : to covertly place for discovery, publication, or dissemination

intransitive verb

: to plant something

plant

Definition of plant (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : a young tree, vine, shrub, or herb planted or suitable for planting

b : any of a kingdom (Plantae) of multicellular eukaryotic mostly photosynthetic organisms typically lacking locomotive movement or obvious nervous or sensory organs and possessing cellulose cell walls

2a : the land, buildings, machinery, apparatus, and fixtures employed in carrying on a trade or an industrial business

b : a factory or workshop for the manufacture of a particular product also : power plant

c : the total facilities available for production or service

d : the buildings and other physical equipment of an institution

3 : an act of planting

4 : something or someone planted

Other Words from plant Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about plant

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of plant in a Sentence

Verb I planted corn this year. I planted the border with roses. a field planted with corn She planted stakes in the garden to hold the vines. I firmly planted my feet and refused to move. He planted himself in front of the TV and stayed there. Terrorists planted a bomb in the bus station. She claims that the police planted the drugs in her car. He was a spy planted in the office by a rival company. Someone planted a rumor saying that he had died. Noun The gangsters never suspected that he was a police plant. a furniture plant that employs hundreds of people

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Macron saw his young centrist party being defeated in France’s biggest cities and failing to plant local roots across the country. — Fox News, "French PM Edouard Philippe resigns, successor to be named," 4 July 2020 Just before arriving in Alabama’s capitol, the marchers stopped to plant a flag along the road, a stake in the heart of inequality. — Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press, "On July 4th, remember the American flag belongs to us all," 3 July 2020 Producers plant the seeds and then the editing turns more minor things into massive drama that can be quite negative. — Courtney Shea, refinery29.com, "Canada’s Drag Race Judges Spill About Season 1," 30 June 2020 And while many have adequate outdoor space to plant or keep a container garden, a significant number do not – think apartment and condo dwellers. — Mary Cadden, USA TODAY, "The best edible plants you can actually grow indoors: Which ones are worth it?," 29 June 2020 Many of the victims had gone to feed livestock or plant fresh crops. — Joanna Slater, Washington Post, "Lightning strikes kill more than 100 in India," 26 June 2020 For the 28th consecutive year, volunteers will plant more than 40,000 American flags in front of homes, businesses and places of worship. — Sarah Bahari, Dallas News, "Volunteers in Irving to plant 40,000 flags for July 4th," 24 June 2020 For voles, plant the bulbs in a plastic flowerpot with bottom cut out. — Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, "What Are Orienpet Lilies and Why You Need Them in You Garden," 23 June 2020 Either plant these directly under your home’s eaves or in another dry spot, or keep them potted and seasonally move them out of the rain. — oregonlive, "Why grow cactus plants in Oregon? Because we can," 5 June 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Rhubarb is often referred to as the pie plant because that’s one of its primary uses. — Darlene Zimmerman, Detroit Free Press, "Top pancakes with strawberry and rhubarb sauce loaded with vitamin C," 26 June 2020 The plant closed May 18 for two weeks of deep cleaning, among other safety measures. — Bob Ortega, CNN, "He's considered an 'essential' worker. What he feels, though, is underpaid and at risk.," 26 June 2020 If a rose flowers so densely that removing each bloom would take forever, clip the whole plant back a few inches with hedge shears. — Benjamin Whitacre, Better Homes & Gardens, "9 of the Worst Mistakes You Should Stop Making With Your Roses," 25 June 2020 The Lordstown plant has been a political flashpoint for the 2020 election in Ohio, which is increasingly looking competitive. — cleveland, "Mike Pence says Donald Trump kept jobs promise in Lordstown plant that used to employ thousands," 25 June 2020 The plant is expected to employ 600 workers and start production in June 2022. — Randy Diamond, ExpressNews.com, "Navistar breaks ground for San Antonio plant — virtually," 25 June 2020 Within days, the plant suspended operations and reopened about two weeks later with new safety protocols. — USA TODAY, "Unwanted masks, homeless count, pork processor cleared: News from around our 50 states," 25 June 2020 Butler said the Cahaba Riverkeeper group became involved in the situation after being invited to participate in MBUSI’s 8th Annual Enviro Days event at the Vance plant. — Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al, "Mercedes construction runoff muddies Cahaba tributary, Alabama warns," 24 June 2020 The temblor also caused a fire at the plant that led to a brief shutdown. — Fox News, "Mexico earthquake death toll rises, worker at oil refinery dies after falling from plant structure," 24 June 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'plant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about plant

Dictionary Entries near plant

plan position indicator

Statistics for plant

Last Updated

10 Jul 2020

Cite this Entry

“Plant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plant. Accessed 11 Jul. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for plant

plant

verb

English Language Learners Definition of plant

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to put (a seed, flower, or plant) in the ground to grow

: to fill (an area) with seeds, flowers, or plants

: to put or place (something) in the ground

plant

noun

English Language Learners Definition of plant (Entry 2 of 2)

: a living thing that grows in the ground, usually has leaves or flowers, and needs sun and water to survive

: a building or factory where something is made

US : the land, buildings, and equipment of an organization

See the full definition for plant in the English Language Learners Dictionary

plant

\ ˈplant

\

planted; planting

Kids Definition of plant

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to place in the ground to grow We'll plant seeds in the spring.

2 : to fill with seeds or plants plant a garden

3 : to set firmly in the ground They planted posts for a fence.

4 : to place firmly He planted himself on the couch.

5 : to introduce as a thought or idea

6 : to place (someone or something) secretly … the teacher thought that he was planted in the audience to pep up the discussion …— E. L. Konigsburg, Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

plant

Kids Definition of plant (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : any member of the kingdom of many-celled mostly photosynthetic living things (as mosses, ferns, grasses, and trees) that lack a nervous system or sense organs and the ability to move about and that have cellulose cell walls

2 : the buildings and equipment of an industrial business or an institution a power plant

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

confabulate

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

Words for Summer: A Quiz

Which of the following words means “of or relating to summer”?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.