: a poisonous American perennial herb (Phytolacca americana of the family Phytolaccaceae, the pokeweed family) with racemose white flowers, dark purple juicy berries, and young shoots sometimes used as potherbs
Examples of pokeweed in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Poison ivy is a familiar example, but other dangerous plants include
pokeweed, poison hemlock, giant hogweed and stinging nettle.
—
Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 18 May 2025
Poisonous berries include American bittersweet, cotoneaster, holly, juniper, pokeweed, and yew.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 29 Apr. 2025
Native perennials such as pokeweed and Virginia creeper are also good sources of healthy fuel.
—Tovah Martin, Washington Post, 16 Nov. 2023
The mottled beans that are parboiled and salted, the toxic pokeweed cooked into tasty greens, the dumplings wrapped in hickory leaves and tied with stalks of rush — these, like the milkies, are meant to be shared.
—Jacey Fortin Mike Belleme, New York Times, 21 Oct. 2023
According to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, at least 30 bird species eat pokeweed seeds.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 21 July 2023
And his recipes are all intriguing – biscuits and tea cakes to feasts showcasing pigs feet, cracklins, and pokeweed.
—Monitor Staff, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Apr. 2018
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Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 18 May 2025
Poisonous berries include American bittersweet, cotoneaster, holly, juniper, pokeweed, and yew.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 29 Apr. 2025
Native perennials such as pokeweed and Virginia creeper are also good sources of healthy fuel.
—Tovah Martin, Washington Post, 16 Nov. 2023
The mottled beans that are parboiled and salted, the toxic pokeweed cooked into tasty greens, the dumplings wrapped in hickory leaves and tied with stalks of rush — these, like the milkies, are meant to be shared.
—Jacey Fortin Mike Belleme, New York Times, 21 Oct. 2023
According to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, at least 30 bird species eat pokeweed seeds.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 21 July 2023
And his recipes are all intriguing – biscuits and tea cakes to feasts showcasing pigs feet, cracklins, and pokeweed.
—Monitor Staff, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Apr. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Pokeweed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pokeweed. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pokeweed
noun
poke·weed
ˈpō-ˌkwēd 
: an American herb with spikes of white flowers, dark purple juicy berries, a poisonous root, and young shoots sometimes used as greens
Medical Definition
pokeweed
noun
poke·weed
ˈpō-ˌkwēd
: a poisonous American perennial herb (Phytolacca americana of the family Phytolaccaceae, the pokeweed family) that has stalks of white flowers, dark purple juicy berries, and a root from which is obtained a mitogen that has been used to stimulate lymphocyte proliferation
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