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• reed
  reed

  noun

  the straight stalk of any of various tall grasses, especially of the genera Phragmites and Arundo, growing in marshy places.
• Reed
  Reed

  noun

  Sir Carol, 1906–76, British film director.

reed

¹ American  

[reed] / rid /

noun

reeds plural

1. the straight stalk of any of various tall grasses, especially of the genera Phragmites and Arundo, growing in marshy places.

2. any of the plants themselves.

3. such stalks or plants collectively.

4. anything made from such a stalk or from something similar, as an arrow.

5. Music.

   1. a pastoral or rustic musical pipe made from a reed or from the hollow stalk of some other plant.

   2. a small, flexible piece of cane or metal that, attached to the mouth of any of various wind instruments, is set into vibration by a stream of air and, in turn, sets into vibration the air column enclosed in the tube of the instrument.

   3. reed instrument.

6. Textiles. the series of parallel strips of wires in a loom that force the weft up to the web and separate the threads of the warp.

7. an ancient unit of length, equal to 6 cubits. Ezekiel 40:5.

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verb (used with object)

1. to decorate with reed.

2. to thatch with or as if with reed.

3. to make vertical grooves on (the edge of a coin, medal, etc.).

idioms

1. a broken reed, a person or thing too frail or weak to be relied on for support.

   Under stress he showed himself to be a broken reed.

Reed ² American  

[reed] / rid /

noun

1. Sir Carol, 1906–76, British film director.

2. Ishmael (Scott), born 1938, U.S. novelist and poet.

3. John, 1887–1920, U.S. journalist and poet.

4. Stanley Forman 1884–1980, U.S. jurist: associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 1938–57.

5. Thomas Brackett, 1839–1902, U.S. politician: Speaker of the House 1889–91, 1895–99.

6. Walter C., 1851–1902, U.S. army surgeon who proved that a type of mosquito transmits the yellow fever virus.

7. a male given name, form of Read.

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reed ¹ British  

/ riːd /

noun

1. any of various widely distributed tall grasses of the genus Phragmites , esp P. communis , that grow in swamps and shallow water and have jointed hollow stalks

2. the stalk, or stalks collectively, of any of these plants, esp as used for thatching

3. music

   1. a thin piece of cane or metal inserted into the tubes of certain wind instruments, which sets in vibration the air column inside the tube

   2. a wind instrument or organ pipe that sounds by means of a reed

4. one of the several vertical parallel wires on a loom that may be moved upwards to separate the warp threads

5. a small semicircular architectural moulding See also reeding

6. an ancient Hebrew unit of length equal to six cubits

7. an archaic word for arrow

8. a weak, unreliable, or ineffectual person

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verb

1. to fashion into or supply with reeds or reeding

2. to thatch using reeds

Reed ² British  

/ riːd /

noun

1. Sir Carol . 1906–76, English film director. His films include The Third Man (1949), An Outcast of the Islands (1951), and Oliver! (1968), for which he won an Oscar

2. Lou . born 1942, US rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist: member of the Velvet Underground (1965–70). His albums include Transformer (1972), Berlin (1973), Street Hassle (1978), New York (1989), Set the Twilight Reeling (1996), and The Raven (2003)

3. Walter . 1851–1902, US physician, who proved that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes (1900)

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Reed Scientific  

/ rēd /

1. American physician and army surgeon who proved in 1900 that yellow fever was transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. His research led to the mosquito eradication programs carried out by William Gorgas that virtually eradicated yellow fever from Havana, Cuba, and from the Panama Canal Zone.

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reed Cultural  

1. A thin piece of wood or plastic used in many woodwind instruments. It vibrates when the player holds it in the mouth and blows over it (as with a single reed) or through it (as with a double reed). Clarinets and saxophones use a single reed; bassoons and oboes use a double reed.

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reed More Idioms  

1. see broken reed.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reedlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• reeds
  plural

Etymology

Origin of reed

First recorded before 900; Middle English reed, red, reod; Old English hrēod, hrēad; cognate with German Ried, Dutch riet

Explanation

A reed is a woody plant with long, slender leaves. Reeds need a lot of moisture, and they usually grow in or near a marsh. The stalk of a reed plant is also called a reed, and it's from this stiff, wood-like material that reeds for certain musical instruments were first made. Many reed instruments, including the clarinet, still use reeds made from reed — specifically, a bamboo-like reed that is native to marshy Mediterranean areas. When a musician blows across her mouthpiece, the reed vibrates to make the sound.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reed Reed reeds

Though piano, synthesizer and what seems to be a reed instrument are audible, it comes across as something created spontaneously with toys and noise-making devices discovered in a room.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

For example, in the early 1990s, he and his colleagues examined standard recommendations for conserving reed beds—important habitats for birds that become overgrown with trees over time.

From Slate ● Apr. 28, 2026

"Probably about 300 acres of burnt reed bed there," he said.

From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2026

The law has been a thin reed to lean on, Weil observes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2025

The older shrew appeared out of a reed bed, balanced upon a large floating tree trunk which he propelled skillfully with a long pole into the side of the bank.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

“There are big-ticket projects that have been waiting for leadership to reinvigorate them,” said Tucker Reed, a Brooklyn real-estate developer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Judge Reed, at my brother’s sentencing, said it.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

Corporate investigations and prosecutions that were happening a few years ago “have pretty much been dialed way back,” said Evan T. Barr, a former federal prosecutor now with the law firm Reed Smith.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

“Usha and the baby are happy and healthy, and our kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother,” he added, also thanking the military doctors and staff at Walter Reed Medical Center for their care.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

Walter Reed tended to be the second or third stop for injured service members who were evacuated out of Iraq and Afghanistan.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Paddle in hand, he now collects the rubbish that accumulates in the reeds along the swampy banks to sell to recycling companies.

From Barron's ● May 20, 2026

Now I have more time for it, steaming it in a woven Algerian basket that infuses the aroma of the reeds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026

These features measure 50 to 100 meters across and are covered in tall reeds reaching about 15 feet.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 21, 2026

He previously lived for years in San Diego County, where he ran along waterways teeming with birds among reeds, willows and sycamores.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2026

Bark and reeds, mud and leaves, twigs and stones.

From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate

Related Words

• fountain pen
• marker
• stick