planted; planting; plants
1
2
3
a
: to place in or on the ground
b
: to place firmly or forcibly
planted a hard blow on his chin
4
a
: conceal
b
: to covertly place for discovery, publication, or dissemination
: to plant something
1
2
a
: 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
Synonyms
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
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Recent Examples on the Web
Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2023
The forest, planted by the city government, environmentalists, and residents, is a Miyawaki forest.
—Jingnan Peng, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Sep. 2023
There are people who come back and plant after the destruction.
—Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2023
To protect against future fires, a 65-foot wilderness buffer—consisting of fire-retardant native succulents and the area's own endemic juniper—has been planted around the lodge.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Sep. 2023
The first photo saw the two stars smiling for the camera, and in the second slide, Swift planted a smooch on her friend's cheek.
—Zoey Lyttle, Peoplemag, 20 Sep. 2023
And a 2023 federal grant program includes $1 billion to plant trees in urban areas.
—Melba Newsome, Scientific American, 19 Sep. 2023
Executive produced by and starring the once-boyish, now often forlorn Ewan McGregor, the film follows David, a frumpy middle-aged family man whose mother (Ellen Burstyn) plants herself on an old couch in the storage room of a furniture outlet, flatly refusing to vacate the premises.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 16 Sep. 2023
The airport is creating shadowed areas along walking and cycling routes, improving ventilation, planting trees and designing heat-resistant surfaces so that buildings and the surrounding urban area don’t overheat.
—Bloomberg Wire, Dallas News, 16 Sep. 2023
Alan Murray, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2023
Even worse, after the plant's foliage withers in summer, spreading roots grow by the furlong in every direction.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 26 Sep. 2023
In a typical year, hydropower plants generate around 6% or 7% of U.S. electricity.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2023
Japan started releasing the water from the plant into the ocean last month, drawing strong criticism from China.
—Fox News, 26 Sep. 2023
Ford’s plans were to employ 2,500 people when the plant opened for production in 2026.
—Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 25 Sep. 2023
Yet Neanderthals living in warm, wet environs had tooth-wear patterns similar to those of agricultural peoples who eat lots of fibrous plants.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2023
In 2015, the company completed a two-year cleanup that turned five acres of industrial waterfront into a wetland habitat with native plants and woody debris.
—Lulu Ramadan, ProPublica, 24 Sep. 2023
Citing strike disruptions at its Wayne plant, Ford told about 600 non-striking workers at the plant not to report to work on Friday, Ford spokeswoman Jennifer Enoch said.
—Tom Krisher, ajc, 16 Sep. 2023
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Verb
Last week, after Azerbaijan announced that six people had been killed because of mines planted by pro-Armenian forces, the Azerbaijani military launched an offensive to consolidate its control over the region, shrugging off the Russian peacekeepers.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2023
The forest, planted by the city government, environmentalists, and residents, is a Miyawaki forest.
—Jingnan Peng, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Sep. 2023
There are people who come back and plant after the destruction.
—Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2023
To protect against future fires, a 65-foot wilderness buffer—consisting of fire-retardant native succulents and the area's own endemic juniper—has been planted around the lodge.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Sep. 2023
The first photo saw the two stars smiling for the camera, and in the second slide, Swift planted a smooch on her friend's cheek.
—Zoey Lyttle, Peoplemag, 20 Sep. 2023
And a 2023 federal grant program includes $1 billion to plant trees in urban areas.
—Melba Newsome, Scientific American, 19 Sep. 2023
Executive produced by and starring the once-boyish, now often forlorn Ewan McGregor, the film follows David, a frumpy middle-aged family man whose mother (Ellen Burstyn) plants herself on an old couch in the storage room of a furniture outlet, flatly refusing to vacate the premises.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 16 Sep. 2023
The airport is creating shadowed areas along walking and cycling routes, improving ventilation, planting trees and designing heat-resistant surfaces so that buildings and the surrounding urban area don’t overheat.
—Bloomberg Wire, Dallas News, 16 Sep. 2023
Noun
Ford’s plant will use technology from battery maker CATL, a decision which has drawn scrutiny from some in Congress who worry the deal is a way for the Chinese company to get access to U.S. tax credits.
—Alan Murray, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2023
Even worse, after the plant's foliage withers in summer, spreading roots grow by the furlong in every direction.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 26 Sep. 2023
In a typical year, hydropower plants generate around 6% or 7% of U.S. electricity.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2023
Japan started releasing the water from the plant into the ocean last month, drawing strong criticism from China.
—Fox News, 26 Sep. 2023
Ford’s plans were to employ 2,500 people when the plant opened for production in 2026.
—Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 25 Sep. 2023
Yet Neanderthals living in warm, wet environs had tooth-wear patterns similar to those of agricultural peoples who eat lots of fibrous plants.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2023
In 2015, the company completed a two-year cleanup that turned five acres of industrial waterfront into a wetland habitat with native plants and woody debris.
—Lulu Ramadan, ProPublica, 24 Sep. 2023
Citing strike disruptions at its Wayne plant, Ford told about 600 non-striking workers at the plant not to report to work on Friday, Ford spokeswoman Jennifer Enoch said.
—Tom Krisher, ajc, 16 Sep. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plant.' 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
Verb
Middle English, from Old English plantian, from Late Latin plantare to plant, fix in place, from Latin, to plant, from planta plant
Noun
Middle English plante, from Old English, from Latin planta
First Known Use
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of plant was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing plant
Articles Related to plant
Dictionary Entries Near plant
Cite this Entry
“Plant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plant. Accessed 2 Oct. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
plant
1 of 2 verb1
a
: to put or set in the ground to grow
plant seeds
b
: to set permanently in the consciousness of : implant
plant good habits
2
a
: to cause to become established
plant colonies
b
: to stock or provide with something usually to grow or increase
plant fields to corn
plant a stream with trout
3
a
: to place or fix in the ground
planted stakes to hold the vines
b
: to place firmly or forcibly
planted themselves right in our way
4
: to place or introduce so as to mislead
plant a spy
plant
2 of 2 noun1
: any of a kingdom of mostly photosynthetic living things usually lacking the ability to move from place to place under their own power, having no obvious nervous or sensory organs, possessing cellulose cell walls, and often having a body that is able to keep growing without taking on a fixed size and shape
2
a
: the land, buildings, and equipment of an organization
the college plant
b
: a building or workshop for the manufacture of a product : factory
c
3
: something or someone planted
left muddy footprints as a plant to confuse the police
More from Merriam-Webster on plant
Nglish: Translation of plant for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of plant for Arabic Speakers
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