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• reed
  reed

  noun

  the straight stalk of any of various tall grasses, especially of the genera Phragmites and Arundo, growing in marshy places.
• Reed
  Reed

  noun

  Sir Carol, 1906–76, British film director.

reed

¹ American  

[reed] / rid /

noun

1. the straight stalk of any of various tall grasses, especially of the genera Phragmites and Arundo, growing in marshy places.

2. any of the plants themselves.

3. such stalks or plants collectively.

4. anything made from such a stalk or from something similar, as an arrow.

5. Music.

   1. a pastoral or rustic musical pipe made from a reed or from the hollow stalk of some other plant.

   2. a small, flexible piece of cane or metal that, attached to the mouth of any of various wind instruments, is set into vibration by a stream of air and, in turn, sets into vibration the air column enclosed in the tube of the instrument.

   3. reed instrument.

6. Textiles. the series of parallel strips of wires in a loom that force the weft up to the web and separate the threads of the warp.

7. an ancient unit of length, equal to 6 cubits. Ezekiel 40:5.

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verb (used with object)

1. to decorate with reed.

2. to thatch with or as if with reed.

3. to make vertical grooves on (the edge of a coin, medal, etc.).

idioms

1. a broken reed, a person or thing too frail or weak to be relied on for support.

   Under stress he showed himself to be a broken reed.

Reed ² American  

[reed] / rid /

noun

1. Sir Carol, 1906–76, British film director.

2. Ishmael (Scott), born 1938, U.S. novelist and poet.

3. John, 1887–1920, U.S. journalist and poet.

4. Stanley Forman 1884–1980, U.S. jurist: associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 1938–57.

5. Thomas Brackett, 1839–1902, U.S. politician: Speaker of the House 1889–91, 1895–99.

6. Walter C., 1851–1902, U.S. army surgeon who proved that a type of mosquito transmits the yellow fever virus.

7. a male given name, form of Read.

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reed ¹ British  

/ riːd /

noun

1. any of various widely distributed tall grasses of the genus Phragmites , esp P. communis , that grow in swamps and shallow water and have jointed hollow stalks

2. the stalk, or stalks collectively, of any of these plants, esp as used for thatching

3. music

   1. a thin piece of cane or metal inserted into the tubes of certain wind instruments, which sets in vibration the air column inside the tube

   2. a wind instrument or organ pipe that sounds by means of a reed

4. one of the several vertical parallel wires on a loom that may be moved upwards to separate the warp threads

5. a small semicircular architectural moulding See also reeding

6. an ancient Hebrew unit of length equal to six cubits

7. an archaic word for arrow

8. a weak, unreliable, or ineffectual person

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verb

1. to fashion into or supply with reeds or reeding

2. to thatch using reeds

Reed ² British  

/ riːd /

noun

1. Sir Carol . 1906–76, English film director. His films include The Third Man (1949), An Outcast of the Islands (1951), and Oliver! (1968), for which he won an Oscar

2. Lou . born 1942, US rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist: member of the Velvet Underground (1965–70). His albums include Transformer (1972), Berlin (1973), Street Hassle (1978), New York (1989), Set the Twilight Reeling (1996), and The Raven (2003)

3. Walter . 1851–1902, US physician, who proved that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes (1900)

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Reed Scientific  

/ rēd /

1. American physician and army surgeon who proved in 1900 that yellow fever was transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. His research led to the mosquito eradication programs carried out by William Gorgas that virtually eradicated yellow fever from Havana, Cuba, and from the Panama Canal Zone.

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reed Cultural  

1. A thin piece of wood or plastic used in many woodwind instruments. It vibrates when the player holds it in the mouth and blows over it (as with a single reed) or through it (as with a double reed). Clarinets and saxophones use a single reed; bassoons and oboes use a double reed.

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reed More Idioms  

1. see broken reed.

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Other Word Forms

• reedlike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of reed

First recorded before 900; Middle English reed, red, reod; Old English hrēod, hrēad; cognate with German Ried, Dutch riet

Explanation

A reed is a woody plant with long, slender leaves. Reeds need a lot of moisture, and they usually grow in or near a marsh. The stalk of a reed plant is also called a reed, and it's from this stiff, wood-like material that reeds for certain musical instruments were first made. Many reed instruments, including the clarinet, still use reeds made from reed — specifically, a bamboo-like reed that is native to marshy Mediterranean areas. When a musician blows across her mouthpiece, the reed vibrates to make the sound.

Example Sentences

Burning reed beds is a quick way to restore them, but everyone knew it should be avoided because it killed soil invertebrates, such as snails and earthworms.

From Slate • Apr. 28, 2026

"Probably about 300 acres of burnt reed bed there," he said.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

Strikes on disparate vessels may seem a thin reed for an ICC investigation, but the court has been moved to act by less.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

The law has been a thin reed to lean on, Weil observes.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 10, 2025

Carefully she took the clarinet apart, removed the reed from the mouthpiece, and put everything back in the blue-lined case.

From "Time Bomb" by Joelle Charbonneau

Related Words

• fountain pen
• marker
• stick