marijuana
Americannoun
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a psychoactive narcotic drug rendered from the leaves and flowering tops of a cannabis plant, especially Cannabis sativa, used for recreational or medical purposes by smoking, vaping, or ingesting.
He’s tried marijuana but claims it has no effect on him.
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the dried leaves and flowering tops from which the drug is rendered.
Her personal stash of marijuana is rarely more than an ounce or two.
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any plant of the genus Cannabis, especially C. sativa, whose leaves and flowering tops have psychoactive properties.
several acres of cultivated marijuana.
noun
Etymology
Origin of marijuana
An Americanism dating back to 1890–95; from Mexican Spanish marihuana, mariguana; the traditional association with the personal name María Juana is probably a folk etymology
Explanation
Marijuana is a commonly used illegal drug made from dried leaves of the hemp plant. Smoking marijuana creates a high. Marijuana is a drug that is mostly smoked — in a joint, a bowl, a bong, or other device — but sometimes it can be eaten. Marijuana is illegal, but it is considered a "soft drug" — as opposed to hard drugs like heroin or cocaine, which are killers. People call marijuana "pot" and "weed" and a hundred other slang terms. There's also medical marijuana, which sick people, especially cancer patients, can get to relieve their pain.
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.
A White House official told MarketWatch that the order was about reclassifying marijuana.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 18, 2025
On Sept. 9, 2024, the first trading day after Trump said he would support rescheduling marijuana in a Truth Social post External link, the ETF rose 11%.
From Barron's • Dec. 16, 2025
Another study in Social Science and Medicine in 2013 concluded that “immigrant youth have a lower risk of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use relative to U.S.-born youth.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025
President Biden has already issued pardons to anyone convicted of simple marijuana possession at the federal level, although those eligible must first apply to receive it.
From Salon • Dec. 4, 2024
But in fact, Trulieve—which won Florida’s first medical marijuana license in 2015—had ties to Tallahassee Republicans when DeSantis was a congressional backbencher.
From Slate • Nov. 1, 2024
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.
