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Showing results for herbicide. Search instead for Verbicides.
Synonyms

herbicide

American  
[hur-buh-sahyd, ur-] / ˈhɜr bəˌsaɪd, ˈɜr- /

noun

  1. a substance or preparation for killing plants, especially weeds.

herbicide British  
/ ˈhɜːbɪˌsaɪd /

noun

  1. a chemical that destroys plants, esp one used to control weeds

"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
herbicide Scientific  
/ hûr′bĭ-sīd′,ûr′- /

  1. A pesticide used to kill weeds. Paraquat is a herbicide.

  2. Compare fungicide insecticide rodenticide

Other Word Forms

  • herbicidal adjective

Etymology

Origin of herbicide

First recorded in 1895–1900; herb + -i- + -cide

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.

Perhaps best known as the main ingredient in Monsanto’s RoundUp herbicide, glyphosate is one of the most commonly used methods of handling weeds on farms and elsewhere.

From Slate • Mar. 5, 2026

Also included in the order was the same protection to producers of glyphosate, an herbicide used in agricultural production, which relies on phosphorus as a “crucial precursor element” in its manufacturing.

From Salon • Mar. 2, 2026

Foley said it was actually 34 pounds of herbicide “diluted with 8 tons of water,” and that officials are trying to use the “least amount” possible.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026

The possible settlement is part of a broader push to secure closure over the claims, which have weighed on the company since it bought Monsanto, the American-maker of the widely used but controversial herbicide.

From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026

If a highly poisonous herbicide such as arsenic has been used, this intense desire to reach the wilting vegetation inevitably has disastrous results.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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.