herbicide
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of herbicide
Explanation
A chemical that's used on lawns or gardens to kill weeds is an herbicide. When herbicides are used on food crops, they target unwanted plants but leave the crops unharmed. Some towns and cities have banned certain herbicides, fearing that they're not safe for humans, pets, and other animals. In many instances, herbicides are seen as a necessity for growing large crops or controlling invasive weeds that threaten structures as well as lawns and gardens. The word herbicide comes from the Latin roots herba, "grass, turf, or vegetation," and the suffix -cide, "killer."
Vocabulary lists containing herbicide
Biodiversity and Humans - Middle School and High School
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Biodiversity and Humans - Introductory
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Agriculture
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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.
Herbicide revenue at the division struggled, however, with sales of glyphosate-based products falling 15.1 percent.
From Barron's • May 12, 2026
Herbicide applicators don't just need to pay attention to air temperature, however.
From Science Daily • Nov. 19, 2024
The story, titled US Workers Sue Monsanto Claiming Herbicide Caused Cancer, brought attention to the growing number of Roundup cancer lawsuits against Monsanto.
From The Guardian • Aug. 9, 2019
Herbicide sales are worth $26 billion a year and account for 46 percent of pesticides revenue overall while 90 percent of GM seeds have some herbicide tolerance built in, according to market researcher Phillips McDougall.
From Reuters • May 22, 2018
Agent Orange, or Herbicide Orange, got its name from the orange markings on the storage barrels, and was manufactured primarily by Monsanto Corp. and Dow Chemical.
From Washington Times • May 25, 2015
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.
