weed
noun
a valueless plant growing wild, especially one that grows on cultivated ground to the exclusion or injury of the desired crop.
weed
1 American
[weed]
/ wid /
noun
-
a valueless plant growing wild, especially one that grows on cultivated ground to the exclusion or injury of the desired crop.
-
any undesirable or troublesome plant, especially one that grows profusely where it is not wanted.
The vacant lot was covered with weeds.
-
Informal. a cigarette or cigar.
-
Slang. a marijuana cigarette.
-
a thin, ungainly person or animal.
-
a wretched or useless animal, especially a horse unfit for racing or breeding purposes.
-
the weed,
verb (used with object)
-
weeds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
weeded,
past participle, past
-
weeding
present participle
-
to free from weeds or troublesome plants; root out weeds from.
to weed a garden.
-
to root out or remove (a weed or weeds), as from a garden (often followed byout ).
to weed out crab grass from a lawn.
-
to remove as being undesirable, inefficient, or superfluous (often followed byout ).
to weed out inexperienced players.
-
to rid (something) of undesirable or superfluous elements.
verb (used without object)
-
weeds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
weeded,
past participle, past
-
weeding
present participle
idioms
weed
2
American
[weed]
/ wid /
noun
-
weeds, mourning garments.
widow's weeds.
-
a mourning band of black crepe or cloth, as worn on a man's hat or coat sleeve.
-
Archaic. Often weeds
-
a garment.
clad in rustic weeds.
-
clothing.
-
Weed
3
American
[weed]
/ wid /
noun
weed
1
British
/ wiːd /
noun
-
any plant that grows wild and profusely, esp one that grows among cultivated plants, depriving them of space, food, etc
-
slang
-
tobacco
-
marijuana
-
-
informal a thin or unprepossessing person
-
an inferior horse, esp one showing signs of weakness of constitution
verb
weed
2
British
/ wiːd /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
weedsimple
-
weedssimple
-
have weededperfect
-
has weededperfect
-
am weedingprogressive
-
are weedingprogressive
-
is weedingprogressive
-
have been weedingperfect progressive
-
has been weedingperfect progressive
Past
-
weededsimple
-
had weededperfect
-
was weedingprogressive
-
were weedingprogressive
-
had been weedingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of weed1
First recorded before 900; Middle English wed(e), weid, Old English wēod; cognate with Old Saxon wiod “weed,” Middle Dutch wiet “fern”
Origin of weed2
First recorded before 900; Middle English wed(e), Old English (ge)wǣde, wǣde “garment, clothing”; cognate with Old Saxon wād, gewādi, Old High German wāt, gewāti; cf. wadmal
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.
See Examples For:
In an effort to ameliorate the city’s budget crunch, the Mamdani administration earlier this year also said it would strengthen verification efforts to weed out owners who shouldn’t be getting the primary-residence abatement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Consider its waiver, then, not just a warning but an attempt to weed out those who may be offended or triggered.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
That sharp slowdown could also have implications for agriculture because morning glory is often considered a troublesome weed by farmers.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
Weingart also sees maintaining healthy soil, with limited weed growth competing for water, as an important way of helping vines cope with extreme heat and drought.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
Big Ma told Vonetta and Fern to clean up every last bit of field weed and seed before they went to bed.
From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia
Google and Microsoft have both made major cybersecurity investments, Bernstein analyst Peter Weed noted.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 2, 2026
“I believe Microsoft maybe has as much revenue in cybersecurity as the entire cybersecurity industry put together outside of it,” Weed said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 2, 2026
Or as Laurie Metcalf’s Weed makes clear in her hilarious monologue before the Central Park gig.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
“The only thing Claude is good at, writing software, means very little,” Bernstein’s Peter Weed said in a note to clients.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 23, 2026
They cultivated a Red Weed that obliterated the landscape.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
Indeed, the words "HELP" and "SOS" have been scratched out in the weeds now flourishing on the exposed lake bed.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
The other key is making sure he’s getting into the weeds on what the firm is building.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Which weeds are safe to eat and how to boil them has become a topic of discussion on local Telegram messaging chats, along with calls between residents to sell, swap or share pieces of food.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
The LCD screens outside the Denver Nuggets basketball arena continue to flicker, although weeds and wolves have overrun the fast-food joints in a bit of postapocalyptic product placement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
We were to our kneecaps in weeds and pods back here because I hadn’t worked this far with the scythe.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
He weeded out clerical competition and consolidated his rule over a nation of 90 million people as it grew into a regional military and political powerhouse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
That requirement has weeded out a lot of bad candidates for our investments.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
The long biotech winter cleaned up the sector: Many biotech companies that went public too early during the COVID-inspired biotech frenzy got weeded out by the sector’s subsequent weakness, Renna says.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2025
The design process also weeded out anything that looked too similar to current antibiotics.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2025
As the two of us went about the large yard, I raked leaves and watered the flowers; Granny weeded the lawn.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
DraftKings and FanDuel, which dominate the sportsbook industry, have faced backlash for weeding out players who win too often and catering heavily to their biggest losers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Fast-spreading pioneer and weeding ferns created extensive fern savannahs.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
"While historic indoor markets present unique operational challenges, our maintenance teams are actively addressing immediate issues, including external weeding, deep cleaning, and structural upkeep," it continued.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Habiba, who spoke to AFP while busy weeding, is proud to have been farming in Nuristan province for decades.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
For ten days after that Ishmael worked—odd jobs and stray chores, weeding and window washing—and worried about Hatsue Imada.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
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