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.
"Decriminalisation isn't good enough," says Antoine, a former chair of the Caribbean Community's Regional Commission on Marijuana.
From BBC • Jan. 26, 2026
“These are salient targets for future clinical trials,” said study author Staci Gruber, director of the Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery program at McLean Hospital and associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
From Washington Post • Oct. 21, 2022
The task force also includes the state’s Campaign Against Marijuana Planting, renamed by Bonta as EPIC, short for the Eradication and Prevention of Illicit Cannabis.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 15, 2022
A search warrant was served by Illegal Marijuana Enforcement Team detectives along with Jackson County Sheriff’s Office deputies at a rural property in Eagle Point at about 6:45 a.m., officials said in a statement.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 17, 2022
She quoted Harry Anslinger, the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, as a key figure in passing the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, which made it illegal to sell and process the drug.
From Washington Times • Apr. 27, 2022
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.
