wean

verb

ˈwēn 

weaned; weaning; weans

transitive verb

1

: to accustom (a young child or animal) to take food otherwise than by nursing

2

: to detach from a source of dependence

being weaned off the medication

wean the bears from human food

—Sports Illus.

also : to free from a usually unwholesome habit or interest

wean him off his excessive drinking

settling his soldiers on the land …  , weaning them from habits of violence

—Geoffrey Carnall

3

: to accustom to something from an early age

—used in the passive especially with on

students weaned on the Internet for research

I was weaned on greasepaint

—Helen Hayes

the principles upon which he had been weaned

—J. A. Michener

Examples of wean in a Sentence

The calves are weaned at an early age.

Recent Examples on the Web

After they’re weaned, the parents bring food back to the den, which is when people often notice them because the pups are outside playing, says Pierce. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2026

That will depend on when he is weaned from a milk-only diet and starts an adult diet complete with fruits and vegetables, said veterinarian Iván Reynoso Ruiz, head of the primate section at the Guadalajara Zoo. —ABC News, 16 Apr. 2026

Since 2021, the state has been grappling with slowing economic output, weaning itself off a property market bubble, and trying to find a balance between promoting a free market and stock exchange within a one-party autocracy. —Joseph Wilkins,sean Conlon, CNBC, 10 Apr. 2026

Even as the six-week conflict (now the subject of a shaky ceasefire agreement) reshaped the future of energy, China’s status as a titan of clean tech puts it in a unique position to help governments now even more desperate to wean themselves off Middle East imports. —Jonathan Tirone, Bloomberg, 9 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English wenen, from Old English wenian to accustom, wean; akin to Old English wunian to be used to — more at wont

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing wean

• wean from/off
• wean on

Rhymes for wean

• bean
• bein
• bien
• bouin
• chine
• clean
• deen
• diene
• gene
• glean
• jean
• keen

Kids Definition

wean

verb

ˈwēn 

1

: to get a child or young animal used to food other than its mother's milk

2

: to turn (one) away from something long desired or followed

wean a person from a bad habit

Medical Definition

wean

transitive verb

ˈwēn 

1

: to accustom (as an infant or young child) to take food otherwise than by nursing

2

: to detach usually gradually from a cause of dependence or form of treatment