weave

[ weev ]

verb (used with object)

, wove weaved; wo·ven or wove; weav·ing.

1. to interlace (threads, yarns, strips, fibrous material, etc.) so as to form a fabric or material.
2. to form by interlacing threads, yarns, strands, or strips of some material:

   to weave a basket; to weave cloth.

3. to form by combining various elements or details into a connected whole:

   to weave a tale; to weave a plan.

   Synonyms: compose, construct, fabricate, contrive

4. to introduce as an element or detail into a connected whole (usually followed by in or into ):

   She wove an old folk melody into her latest musical composition.

   Synonyms: intermingle, intermix, insert

5. to direct or move along in a winding or zigzag course; move from side to side, especially to avoid obstructions:

   to weave one's way through traffic.

verb (used without object)

, wove weaved; wo·ven or wove; weav·ing.

1. to form or construct something, as fabric, by interlacing threads, yarns, strips, etc.
2. to compose a connected whole by combining various elements or details.
3. to be or become formed or composed from the interlacing of materials or the combining of various elements:

   The yarn wove into a beautiful fabric.

4. to move or proceed in a winding course or from side to side:

   dancers weaving in time to the music.

noun

1. a pattern of or method for interlacing yarns.
2. hairweave ( defs 1, 2 ).

weave

/ wiːv /

verb

1. to form (a fabric) by interlacing (yarn, etc), esp on a loom
2. tr to make or construct by such a process

   to weave a shawl

3. tr to make or construct (an artefact, such as a basket) by interlacing (a pliable material, such as cane)
4. (of a spider) to make (a web)
5. tr to construct by combining separate elements into a whole
6. tr; often foll by in, into, through, etc to introduce

   to weave factual details into a fiction

7. to create (a way, etc) by moving from side to side

   to weave through a crowd

8. intr vet science (of a stabled horse) to swing the head, neck, and body backwards and forwards
9. get weaving informal.
   get weaving to hurry; start to do something

noun

1. the method or pattern of weaving or the structure of a woven fabric

Derived Forms

• ˈweaving, noun

Other Words From

• outweave verb (used with object) outwove outwoven or outwove outweaving
• re·weave verb rewove rewoven or rewove reweaving

Word History and Origins

Origin of weave¹

before 900; Middle English weven, Old English wefan; cognate with German weben, Old Norse vefa; web

Word History and Origins

Origin of weave¹

Old English wefan; related to Old High German weban, Old Norse vefa, Greek hyphos, Sanskrit vābhis; compare web , weevil , wasp

Example Sentences

It was literally the worst week of my life and the weave from hell.

From Essence.com

If you’re in a society that says you have to get this weave or lose your job, that’s not really a choice.

From Fortune

Visual references to everything from Cat People to Psycho abound, with the film’s J-horror debt becoming more pronounced once women with possessed weaves go on the attack, their tresses thrashing around like Gorgon serpents.

From Fortune

Still, the fiber a fabric is made from seems to matter less than a fabric’s weave or knit density, the number of layers, and the shape and size of the mask itself.

From Outside Online

The loose hessian weave of most coffee sacks won’t survive the washer and dryer, so the best thing to do is hand-wash them in soapy water and leave them to hang dry.

From Popular-Science

Her microhistories weave compelling lives into larger stories, and William Moulton Marston is irresistible.

From The Daily Beast

The edges of the elegant paper are crackled; the ink bled into the linen weave long ago and has not faded.

From The Daily Beast

I heard he helped you create Thanos, and weave him into the story.

From The Daily Beast

Ex-sexy elf Orlando Bloom, without even putting on his Legolas weave, turns Justin Bieber-punching everyman.

From The Daily Beast

He compares himself to Scheherazade, whose survival was based on her ability to weave tale after tale.

From The Daily Beast

She could not work on such a day, nor weave fancies to stir her pulses and warm her blood.

From Project Gutenberg

Nine identical High-Pocketses—all so tall they had to weave around the neon lights instead of ducking under them.

From Project Gutenberg

The women of the interior spin and weave for their household, and they also embroider very beautifully.

From Project Gutenberg

The artisans of Bengal can weave, the Chinese boatmen can row, with its aid, and it adds much to facility in climbing.

From Project Gutenberg

The last sighs of a man will weave the brilliant corolla of a flower, or expand like a smile over the verdant meadow.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• braid
• careen
• compose
• construct
• create
• entwine
• fabricate
• fold
• fuse
• incorporate
• intertwine
• introduce
• knit
• loop
• mesh
• sew
• snake
• spin
• splice
• twist