herbicide
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
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.
The weedkiller has come under increasing scrutiny as Bayer, Roundup’s maker, has faced thousands of lawsuits alleging it failed to warn people the herbicide could cause cancer.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
Bayer has spent more than $10 billion settling thousands of cases linked to glyphosate since it acquired the US agrichemical group Monsanto in 2018, developer of the popular herbicide Roundup.
From Barron's • May 12, 2026
Durnell and other plaintiffs argue the company should go further in how it warns farmers and landscapers of the risks the herbicide may pose.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026
Then came the 1970s, and a new technology arrived: the herbicide glyphosate, created by Monsanto.
From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026
Those might be mixed with kernels grown with another herbicide, metolachlor.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
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.
