plant

1 of 2

verb

ˈplant

planted; planting; plants

Synonyms of plant next

transitive verb

: to put or set in the ground for growth

plant seeds

: to set or sow with seeds or plants

: implant

: establish, institute

: colonize, settle

: to place (animals) in a new locality

: to stock with animals

: to place in or on the ground

: to place firmly or forcibly

planted a hard blow on his chin

: conceal

: to covertly place for discovery, publication, or dissemination

intransitive verb

: to plant something

plantable

ˈplan-tə-bəl

adjective

plant

2 of 2

noun

: a young tree, vine, shrub, or herb planted or suitable for planting

: any of a kingdom (Plantae) of multicellular eukaryotic mostly photosynthetic organisms typically lacking locomotive movement or obvious nervous or sensory organs and possessing cellulose cell walls

: the land, buildings, machinery, apparatus, and fixtures employed in carrying on a trade or an industrial business

: a factory or workshop for the manufacture of a particular product

also : power plant

: the total facilities available for production or service

: the buildings and other physical equipment of an institution

: an act of planting

: something or someone planted

plantlike

ˈplant-ˌlīk

adjective

Example Sentences

Verb I planted corn this year. I planted the border with roses. a field planted with corn She planted stakes in the garden to hold the vines. I firmly planted my feet and refused to move. He planted himself in front of the TV and stayed there. Terrorists planted a bomb in the bus station. She claims that the police planted the drugs in her car. He was a spy planted in the office by a rival company. Someone planted a rumor saying that he had died. Noun The gangsters never suspected that he was a police plant. a furniture plant that employs hundreds of people See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Veterans Park: The Milwaukee County War Memorial Center is planting 15,015 flags, representing those from Wisconsin killed in action since World War I, in Veterans Park, 1010 N. Lincoln Memorial Drive. —

Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 25 May 2023 This’ll help keep the hooks planted and prevent the fish from pulling the rod out of your hands. —

Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 25 May 2023 Rotating crops, sterilizing soil with plastic sheets, and planting nematode-resistant crop varieties can all help control the problem, but the most effective solution is treating fields with pesticides. —

Byerik Stokstad, science.org, 25 May 2023 Yet the album, co-produced by Nash and Todd Caldwell, who also plays keyboards, is firmly planted in today, in all that Nash is at this moment. —

Steve Hochman, SPIN, 17 May 2023 Make sure to plant flowers, such as sweet alyssum, nearby to attract pollinators because cucumbers require pollination to form fruit. —

Arricca Elin Sansone, Country Living, 12 May 2023 Borrowing from Mediterranean and Middle Eastern traditions, Austin planned for houses made of solid concrete, with thick walls to keep them cool, and flat roofs where urban gardens would be planted. —

André Naffis-sahely, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2023 Lowering the pole at just the right time to plant it in the pit. —

Brendan Connelly, The Enquirer, 10 May 2023 For every pair of Cariuma shoes purchased, the brand will plant two trees in the Brazilian rainforest. —

Alyssa Grabinski, Peoplemag, 4 May 2023

Noun

Milwaukee and Wauwatosa fire crews are fighting a blaze at a recycling plant in the Menomonee Valley, which has received frequent visits from the fire department over the years, Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said. —

Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 31 May 2023 While the plants took the heat, the small flowers of Mexican heather didn’t float my boat. —

Janet B. Carson, Arkansas Online, 28 May 2023 The subterranean restaurant, La Taberna del Cofrade, pays homage to the environment, with concrete walls made of agave fiber and lamps made to resemble the shape agave plants take after they've been processed and cooked. —

Talia Avakian, Travel + Leisure, 25 May 2023 Ford, in partnership with SK On, will bring an additional 5,000 jobs to Kentucky in the coming years at its two Hardin County battery plants which will support EV production. —

Olivia Evans, The Courier-Journal, 24 May 2023 The companies are expected to make a final decision by the end of the year whether to invest up to 70 million Australian dollars, or around $47 million, to build a demonstration plant. —

Natasha Frost Matthew Abbott, New York Times, 23 May 2023 Two years ago, Stellantis announced an investment of £100 million ($126 million) in Ellesmere Port, which has been in operation since 1964, to become its first plant devoted to EV production. —

Julia Malleck, Quartz, 17 May 2023 Cuphea, also called firecracker plant, is a hummingbird magnet. —

Kelly Allen, House Beautiful, 17 May 2023 As usual, local conservationists looking to protect wildlife and plants say the company has picked a poor spot, threatening jaguars, ocelots and Pima pineapple cacti. —

Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English plantian, from Late Latin plantare to plant, fix in place, from Latin, to plant, from planta plant

Noun

Middle English plante, from Old English, from Latin planta

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of plant was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Phrases Containing plant

Cite this Entry

Style

“Plant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plant. Accessed 8 Jun. 2023.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

plant

1 of 2 verb

ˈplant

: to put or set in the ground to grow

plant seeds

: to set permanently in the consciousness of : implant

plant good habits

: to cause to become established

plant colonies

: to stock or provide with something usually to grow or increase

plant fields to corn

plant a stream with trout

: to place or fix in the ground

planted stakes to hold the vines

: to place firmly or forcibly

planted themselves right in our way

: to place or introduce so as to mislead

plant a spy

plant

2 of 2 noun

: any of a kingdom of mostly photosynthetic living things usually lacking the ability to move from place to place under their own power, having no obvious nervous or sensory organs, possessing cellulose cell walls, and often having a body that is able to keep growing without taking on a fixed size and shape