as in coward
a person without strength of character
the congresswoman is but a reed who bends whichever way the political winds are blowing
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of reed
At the same time, Utah is working to remove a nonnative reed called phragmites, which is growing on the lake surface and sucking down twice as much water as native plants.
—
Evan Bush, NBC news, 7 Mar. 2026
Linas, a runner, started the Creek Team OC Instagram account after noticing changes on his runs along San Juan and Trabuco creeks, where lush green reeds suddenly turned brown and lifeless.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
That month, the rest of Esther’s body was recovered when hikers found her remains in a reed bed in Gandía, Alicante, with her bones hidden amongst undergrowth.
—Samantha Bergeson, Time, 6 Mar. 2026
The facility is complete with 15 total acres of gardens and uses solar panels, reed-bed sewage systems, ground-source heat pumps, and rainwater harvesting.
—Elle Meier, InStyle, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reed
Evan Bush, NBC news, 7 Mar. 2026
Linas, a runner, started the Creek Team OC Instagram account after noticing changes on his runs along San Juan and Trabuco creeks, where lush green reeds suddenly turned brown and lifeless.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
That month, the rest of Esther’s body was recovered when hikers found her remains in a reed bed in Gandía, Alicante, with her bones hidden amongst undergrowth.
—Samantha Bergeson, Time, 6 Mar. 2026
The facility is complete with 15 total acres of gardens and uses solar panels, reed-bed sewage systems, ground-source heat pumps, and rainwater harvesting.
—Elle Meier, InStyle, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for reed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reed
Noun
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Time constraints once again strike here, but there’s also the fact that the movie drops the plot’s true twist — that Grace is a coward — only a few minutes before.—
Matthew Razak,
Space.com,
23 Mar. 2026
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John Cornyn is a coward who has refused to support abolishing the filibuster to pass this bill.—
Jack Fink,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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How did the jellyfish turn into a squid?—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
3 Apr. 2026
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These include cnidarians, a group of radially symmetric organisms including present-day jellyfish.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Indiana, a longtime doormat of the Big Ten, went undefeated and won the national title, led by a transfer quarterback (who won the Heisman Trophy) and a roster full of transfers.—
Tim Rohan,
NBC news,
7 Apr. 2026
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Add a seasonal wreath and update the doormat.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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After all, in the cat-and-mouse game that is cybersecurity, the best defense is a good offense.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
8 Apr. 2026
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Last year Microsoft also migrated clock settings, keyboard character repeat delay, mouse cursor blink rate, and formatting for time, number, and currency into the Settings app.—
Tom Warren,
The Verge,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Lanolin is a deeply moisturizing oil naturally occurring in sheep's wool, humanely (and cruelty-free) sourced by Australian sheep farmers.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
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Crofting and sheep farming set the daily rhythms, but there’s also a strict church calendar.—
Cressida Leyshon,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reed. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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