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hemp

American  
[hemp] / hɛmp /

noun

  1. Also called Indian hemp, marijuana.  a tall, coarse plant, Cannabis sativa, that is native to Asia but naturalized or cultivated in many parts of the world and is the source of a valuable fiber as well as drugs such as marijuana and hashish.

  2. the tough fiber of this plant, used for making rope, coarse fabric, etc.

  3. any of various plants resembling hemp.

  4. any of various fibers similar to hemp.

  5. a narcotic drug, as marijuana or hashish, prepared from the hemp plant.

hemp British  
/ hɛmp /

noun

  1. Also called: cannabis.   marijuana.  an annual strong-smelling Asian plant, Cannabis sativa , having tough fibres, deeply lobed leaves, and small greenish flowers: family Cannabidaeceae See also Indian hemp

  2. the fibre of this plant, used to make canvas, rope, etc

  3. any of several narcotic drugs obtained from some varieties of this plant, esp from Indian hemp See bhang cannabis hashish marijuana

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • hempen adjective
  • hemplike adjective

Etymology

Origin of hemp

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English henep, hænep; cognate with Old High German hanaf, German Hanf, Greek kánnabis; further origin uncertain, perhaps from Scythian (Herodotus describes in book 4 the Scythian hemp-smoking ceremony) or Thracian; compare also Sumerian kunibu “hemp”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The company also prides itself on using sustainable building materials, such as insulation made from hemp.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

Newsom has equated these actions to the state’s efforts in 2024 to quash the sale of hemp products containing cannabinoids such as THC.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026

Takuya Otsuki, exhibiting at COHJU, draws on traditional Japanese art in his images, which pare down historical works into isolated, sometimes abstract elements, transposing them in mineral and dyed-mud pigments on hemp paper.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

Researchers in the US examined information from the Dog Aging Project to better understand the characteristics, health patterns, and behavior of dogs that received CBD or hemp supplements.

From Science Daily • Nov. 28, 2025

They teased Skipper John, as they nicknamed the dummy sailor, from their stools as they fiddled with the hemp rope.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.