reed
the straight stalk of any of various tall grasses, especially of the genera Phragmites and Arundo, growing in marshy places.
any of the plants themselves.
such stalks or plants collectively.
anything made from such a stalk or from something similar, as an arrow.
Music.
a pastoral or rustic musical pipe made from a reed or from the hollow stalk of some other plant.
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.
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.
an ancient unit of length, equal to 6 cubits. Ezekiel 40:5.
to decorate with reed.
to thatch with or as if with reed.
to make vertical grooves on (the edge of a coin, medal, etc.).
Idioms about reed
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.
Origin of reed
1Other words from reed
- reed·like, adjective
Words Nearby reed
Other definitions for Reed (2 of 2)
Sir Carol, 1906–76, British film director.
Ishmael (Scott), born 1938, U.S. novelist and poet.
John, 1887–1920, U.S. journalist and poet.
Stanley For·man [fawr-muhn], /ˈfɔr mən/, 1884–1980, U.S. jurist: associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 1938–57.
Thomas Brackett, 1839–1902, U.S. politician: Speaker of the House 1889–91, 1895–99.
Walter C., 1851–1902, U.S. army surgeon who proved that a type of mosquito transmits the yellow fever virus.
a male given name, form of Read.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use reed in a sentence
Prosecutors said that reed was arrested in Massachusetts on Thursday, while Hayes, Dwyer, and Delo remain at large.
Giant cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX hit with criminal and civil money laundering charges | dzanemorris | October 1, 2020 | FortuneIn an email, reed said he was planning to leave the organization at the end of the year anyway.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce abruptly ousts top political consultant Scott Reed, alleging leaks | Tom Hamburger | September 29, 2020 | Washington Postreed said it doesn’t make sense that Elmcroft of La Mesa – which markets “exceptional memory care” on its website – qualifies as non-medical.
COVID-19 Exposes Lack of Medical Staff in Assisted Living Facilities | Jared Whitlock | September 28, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoIn the century before Ginsburg won the reed case, the Supreme Court never met a gender classification that it didn’t like.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Helped Shape The Modern Era Of Women’s Rights – Even Before She Went On The Supreme Court | LGBTQ-Editor | September 21, 2020 | No Straight NewsGive us a little bit of the reed story before you became reed Hastings, Netflix.
What if Your Company Had No Rules? (Bonus Episode) | Maria Konnikova | September 12, 2020 | Freakonomics
“We quietly did,” reed previously told The Daily Beast of removing ISIS.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS | Marlow Stern | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTHe gets up and goes over to their table and introduces himself, and he says, ‘Hello, I’m Oliver reed.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile | Robert Ward | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTRandy reed Buick, Nissan, and Chevrolet Missouri-based car dealerships.
Farah told Deputy Michael reed that he could not say what clothes his daughters might have had on.
“Both wear head scarves as part of their religion,” reed later wrote in his report.
In the dens where dragons dwelt before, shall rise up the verdure of the reed and the bulrush.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousEach man in the room was smoking a pipe, which consisted of a brass bowl and a reed stem over three feet long.
Our Little Korean Cousin | H. Lee M. PikeThe bruised reed he shall not break, and smoking flax he shall not quench, he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousThis is especially the case in what are known as the reed and Haydon properties which extend over about 200 acres.
Asbestos | Robert H. JonesTo Willis, however, must be attributed greater advance in the utilization of heavy pressures for reed work.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building | George Laing Miller
British Dictionary definitions for reed (1 of 2)
/ (riːd) /
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
the stalk, or stalks collectively, of any of these plants, esp as used for thatching
music
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
a wind instrument or organ pipe that sounds by means of a reed
one of the several vertical parallel wires on a loom that may be moved upwards to separate the warp threads
a small semicircular architectural moulding: See also reeding
an ancient Hebrew unit of length equal to six cubits
an archaic word for arrow
broken reed a weak, unreliable, or ineffectual person
to fashion into or supply with reeds or reeding
to thatch using reeds
Origin of reed
1British Dictionary definitions for Reed (2 of 2)
/ (riːd) /
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
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)
Walter . 1851–1902, US physician, who proved that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes (1900)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for Reed
[ rēd ]
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for reed
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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with reed
see broken reed.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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