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
Tule reeds that grows in the yard in preparation of basket weaving.
—
Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
The Lego set includes a posable head and claws, buildable reed and water display stand, and a fish that can be placed in the bird’s beak.
—Mia Huelsbeck, PEOPLE, 26 Dec. 2025
Hole soil analysis also found ancient pollens of maize – a key staple in the Andes – and reeds traditionally used for basket-making.
—New Atlas, 21 Dec. 2025
At the ciénega, Pitt noted the rhythmic grunts of a Yuma Ridgway’s rail, a resident marsh bird the size of a chicken that makes a racket but rarely shows itself among the reeds.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reed
Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
The Lego set includes a posable head and claws, buildable reed and water display stand, and a fish that can be placed in the bird’s beak.
—Mia Huelsbeck, PEOPLE, 26 Dec. 2025
Hole soil analysis also found ancient pollens of maize – a key staple in the Andes – and reeds traditionally used for basket-making.
—New Atlas, 21 Dec. 2025
At the ciénega, Pitt noted the rhythmic grunts of a Yuma Ridgway’s rail, a resident marsh bird the size of a chicken that makes a racket but rarely shows itself among the reeds.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reed
Noun
-
He and the cowards of Congress should be held accountable in the next election cycle.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Tim Walz and Jacob Frey are cowards who are inciting violence to distract from their own failures.—
Alex Derosier,
Twin Cities,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Researchers found that the jellyfish, which host photosynthetic algae, are active during the day, sleep mainly at night, and even take midday naps, much like some humans do after lunch.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Though the entire look evoked a jellyfish, small white butterflies could also be glimpsed on the athlete’s apparel and accessories — a reference to Osaka’s 2021 Australian Open tennis match when the athlete moved a butterfly that landed on her face off the court.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
While his powerful slams and stellar play helped IU reach the NCAA Tournament in both his junior and senior years, the football team was a doormat in the Big Ten and an afterthought on campus.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
18 Jan. 2026
-
Keep a heavy-duty doormat outside and a washable one inside.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
17 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Like a game of cat-and-mouse, officials returned him to the forest in November.—
Sarah Henry,
AZCentral.com,
22 Jan. 2026
-
More than a cat-and-mouse game between him and them, the series uses that procedural framework to imagine, in psychologically astute and electrifyingly strange ways, an entire world altered by The Beauty.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
However, one quick look at what companies like Boston Dynamics has achieved with robots like the rather creepy dog-like ‘Spot,’ who herds sheep in New Zealand, and the possibilities seem endless.—
Peter Lyon,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
From the late nineteenth century to the nineteen-fifties, the island functioned, in effect, as a company state where, as Pitts observes, the sheep got better treatment than the people, with the pastures as well watered as a golf course.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reed. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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