weaned; weaning; weans
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.
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
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
Helen Hayesthe principles upon which he had been weaned—J. A. Michener
J. A. MichenerExamples of wean in a Sentence
The calves are weaned at an early age.
Recent Examples on the Web
In a drive to move Germany toward economic self-sufficiency, Hitler had imposed draconian tariffs, refused to honor foreign-debt obligations, and sought to wean the nation off Norwegian whale-oil consumption.
—Timothy W. Ryback, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026
Florida has already begun weaning off accreditation’s influence in other fields.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026
The United States is trying to wean itself away from China’s rare earth processing.
—Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
Lamont has publicly expressed interest in expanding the capacity of one or more pipelines running through New York into Connecticut, often drawing criticism from environmental groups who want to wean the state off of natural gas.
—John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2026
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Timothy W. Ryback, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026
Florida has already begun weaning off accreditation’s influence in other fields.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026
The United States is trying to wean itself away from China’s rare earth processing.
—Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
Lamont has publicly expressed interest in expanding the capacity of one or more pipelines running through New York into Connecticut, often drawing criticism from environmental groups who want to wean the state off of natural gas.
—John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wean
Cite this Entry
“Wean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wean. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wean
verb1
: 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 verb1
: 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
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