as in cowards
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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Recent Examples of reeds
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
The protagonist is a nine-year-old girl named Lamia (Baneen Ahmad Nayyef), who lives with her grandmother (Waheed Thabet Khreibat), in a mudhif, a house of twisted reeds, in Iraq’s southern marshlands.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2026
The hippos carve the winding channels of the Delta, breaking through blockages of reeds and water lilies and opening floodgates for the rain that flows down from Angola each year.
—Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
Dozens of kayakers lined up beneath the West Mission Bay Drive Bridge on a clear, chilly Saturday morning, preparing to paddle through the San Diego River Estuary’s shallow reeds in search of trash threatening one of the region’s most important wildlife habitats.
—Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Jan. 2026
Along the banks, the giants of Amazonia, the sentinel royal palms and the colossal domed kapoks, rose above a confusion of trunks, reeds, and trailing vines.
—Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026
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
Ancient pollen grains found inside the holes point to the presence of crops such as maize, as well as wild plants including reeds and willow that have traditionally been used to make baskets, Bongers noted.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 21 Nov. 2025
Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
The protagonist is a nine-year-old girl named Lamia (Baneen Ahmad Nayyef), who lives with her grandmother (Waheed Thabet Khreibat), in a mudhif, a house of twisted reeds, in Iraq’s southern marshlands.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2026
The hippos carve the winding channels of the Delta, breaking through blockages of reeds and water lilies and opening floodgates for the rain that flows down from Angola each year.
—Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
Dozens of kayakers lined up beneath the West Mission Bay Drive Bridge on a clear, chilly Saturday morning, preparing to paddle through the San Diego River Estuary’s shallow reeds in search of trash threatening one of the region’s most important wildlife habitats.
—Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Jan. 2026
Along the banks, the giants of Amazonia, the sentinel royal palms and the colossal domed kapoks, rose above a confusion of trunks, reeds, and trailing vines.
—Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026
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
Ancient pollen grains found inside the holes point to the presence of crops such as maize, as well as wild plants including reeds and willow that have traditionally been used to make baskets, Bongers noted.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 21 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reeds
Noun
-
Parties aside, the majority of our legislators are cowards.—
Sam Meas,
Boston Herald,
2 Mar. 2026
-
And Trump calls ’em almost like cowards.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Sea turtles and other marine animals can often confuse burst balloons floating in the water for jellyfish.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Observing jellyfish gametes develop under a microscope lured him away from the neat logic of physics and chemistry and into the dynamic processes of biology.—
Marlowe Starling,
Quanta Magazine,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Bears fans scooped up drink coasters and even doormats made of the plastic grass.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
-
In addition to dusting, keeping doormats at all entryways will help reduce the amount of dirt and debris in your home.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Particularly caring mice dads will groom their pups and even insulate them with their bellies against inclement weather.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Stained clothing, furniture, and rugs, anything that smells musty or mildewy, and items stored in spaces with termite, bedbug, or mice infestations should be thrown away rather than donated.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Further, forcing suburban commuter cities to sit at the table with the city of San Diego controlling 42 of 100 votes on the SANDAG board is like two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.—
John Franklin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Your littlest charges will marvel at the size of the camels, tortoises and giraffes lumbering about the zoo’s meandering paths, and then eagerly pet goats and sheep in the farmyard.—
Susan McDonald,
The Providence Journal,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Reeds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reeds. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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