milkweed

noun

milk·​weed ˈmilk-ˌwēd 

: any of various plants that secrete latex

especially : any of a genus (Asclepias of the family Apocynaceae, the dogbane family) of erect chiefly perennial herbs with milky juice and umbellate flowers

Illustration of milkweed

Examples of milkweed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Her corner property, which once featured a standard lawn, now blooms with milkweeds, perennials and even fruit trees. —Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025

Include nectar sources, such as lantana for adults, and host plants like native milkweed, California lilacs, buckwheat or dill for caterpillars. —Tina Chen, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025

This milkweed, along with butterfly weed A. tuberosa, can be deadheaded to promote rebloom. —Pamm Cooper, Hartford Courant, 26 July 2025

In a few days, that egg will hatch a caterpillar barely a few millimeters long, which will binge itself on milkweed leaves for another two weeks. —Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1592, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing milkweed

• milkweed bug
• milkweed butterfly

Rhymes for milkweed

• accede
• agreed
• airspeed
• alkyd
• bindweed
• chickweed
• concede
• decreed
• duckweed
• exceed
• flaxseed
• impede

Kids Definition

milkweed

noun

milk·​weed ˈmil-ˌkwēd 

: any of various herbs with milky juice and flowers usually in dense clusters

Medical Definition

milkweed

noun

milk·​weed ˈmilk-ˌwēd 

: any of various plants that secrete latex

especially : any plant of the genus Asclepias (family Asclepiadaceae, the milkweed family) including several whose dried roots were formerly used medicinally