weave
Americanverb (used with object)
-
weaves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
weaved,
past participle, past
-
wove,
past
-
woven,
past participle
-
weaving
present participle
-
to interlace (threads, yarns, strips, fibrous material, etc.) so as to form a fabric or material.
-
to form by interlacing threads, yarns, strands, or strips of some material.
to weave a basket; to weave cloth.
-
to form by combining various elements or details into a connected whole.
to weave a tale; to weave a plan.
-
to introduce as an element or detail into a connected whole (usually followed by in orinto ).
She wove an old folk melody into her latest musical composition.
- Synonyms:
- intermingle, intermix, insert
-
to direct or move along in a winding or zigzag course; move from side to side, especially to avoid obstructions.
to weave one's way through traffic.
verb (used without object)
-
weaves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
weaved,
past participle, past
-
wove,
past
-
woven,
past participle
-
weaving
present participle
-
to form or construct something, as fabric, by interlacing threads, yarns, strips, etc.
-
to compose a connected whole by combining various elements or details.
-
to be or become formed or composed from the interlacing of materials or the combining of various elements.
The yarn wove into a beautiful fabric.
-
to move or proceed in a winding course or from side to side.
dancers weaving in time to the music.
verb
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to form (a fabric) by interlacing (yarn, etc), esp on a loom
-
(tr) to make or construct by such a process
to weave a shawl
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(tr) to make or construct (an artefact, such as a basket) by interlacing (a pliable material, such as cane)
-
(of a spider) to make (a web)
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(tr) to construct by combining separate elements into a whole
-
(tr; often foll by in, into, through, etc) to introduce
to weave factual details into a fiction
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to create (a way, etc) by moving from side to side
to weave through a crowd
-
(intr) () vet science (of a stabled horse) to swing the head, neck, and body backwards and forwards
-
informal to hurry; start to do something
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
weavesimple
-
weavessimple
-
have weavedperfect
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have wovenperfect
-
has weavedperfect
-
has wovenperfect
-
am weavingprogressive
-
are weavingprogressive
-
is weavingprogressive
-
have been weavingperfect progressive
-
has been weavingperfect progressive
Past
-
weavedsimple
-
wovesimple
-
had weavedperfect
-
had wovenperfect
-
was weavingprogressive
-
were weavingprogressive
-
had been weavingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of weave
before 900; Middle English weven, Old English wefan; cognate with German weben, Old Norse vefa; see web
Explanation
Weaving involves lacing strips of fabric, string, or some other material together to make something. You can weave wool to make a rug, or weave the details of a story together to make a great book. While weave originally only meant to make cloth by interlacing material, it later came to also mean more generally “combine into a whole.” Think of a spider and how it weaves its web, or of how some songs expertly weave in unexpected elements, like the sound of a siren or the waves crashing. You can also use weave to describe a swaying motion, like that of a car darting through traffic when it’s trying to move ahead.
Vocabulary lists containing weave
Native American History - Introductory
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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.
See Examples For:
In the final scene, after Paul’s death, all seven characters weave the opera’s musical themes together with Maclean’s lyrical words: “Eventually all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
President Trump has a speaking style that he describes himself as "the weave".
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
His widow joined a weaving collective of genocide survivors, working long hours on a back-strap loom to weave the beautiful, intricate geometric designs that Ixil women are famous for.
From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2026
From there, they’re forced to weave through high-traffic streets in neighborhoods including Lincoln Heights, Chinatown, Downtown L.A. and Boyle Heights before they find the path again in Vernon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
As we weave through the picnic tables, it’s ridiculous to feel as though she has no right to be in a place where I’ve barely set foot.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
According to Laura Miller, Mandel expertly weaves together an interconnected cast of characters in this “lovely, meditative new novel.”
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
He says the book uses ginger hair as "a golden thread" that weaves together America's diverse and difficult history in a way which shows a connection between people.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Christian Kracht weaves an uncanny atmosphere in the story of a man named Paul who mysteriously disappears from inside a Norwegian data center.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
That would break the spell Miyazaki weaves in every frame leading up to that moment.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
He weaves the rope in and out of his fingers.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
That moment looked to be pivotal as Ash Handley's outrageous offload reached Miller who weaved and then found Croft on his inside to dot down a terrific Leeds score under the posts.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Linda Cantey had the sound of her mobile turned off the night the Atlas Wildfire weaved a path of destruction through her section of Napa, California.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
Governments are so in awe of the tales weaved by tech bros about the coming artificial-intelligence future, she says, that they have given them a free pass to do pretty much whatever they want.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
She gazed at her grandson Adel as he weaved his way around the fabric and rope of the tent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
Cat and Harriet weaved their way through the crowds.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
While players came and went, Jeanie was a constant presence who wove the Lakers into the fabric of her daily life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
He was one of the few who wove what was happening in the country into his material.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
I wove the basket from my neighbor’s tree bark.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
After just four overs from the quicks, the spinners took centre stage and wove a web around the Sri Lankan batters, much as they had throughout the tour.
From Barron's ● Feb. 3, 2026
An icy current wove through the air, carrying along with it hollow sighs and a swell of dull mutterings.
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
China also remains deeply woven into Apple’s manufacturing network, even as the company shifts more production to countries including India and Vietnam.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
His speeches are woven through with references to "God, country, family and freedom."
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
Two hundred fifty years on, the principles of our country’s founding are still woven into the fabric of U.S. society.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
After learning of her death, Fonda posted on social media: "She is woven into all our lives and hearts forever."
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
As my panting subsided, I could make out the faint texture of the woven walls around me and smell the still-fresh scent of the green fronds from which they were plaited.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
The sequence started with Seattle’s Peter Kingston, another second-half substitute, weaving through traffic on a long run up the right wing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
The prosthesis helped him return to weaving, but that was not his only source of income.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026
The art of fine carpet weaving was introduced in the Himalayan valley of Kashmir in the 15th century by Persian travellers, and received patronage during the reign of its last local king Zain-ul-Abidin Budshah.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
Dr. Snyder began by weaving together evidentiary strands collected by other investigators in the 1950s and ’60s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
He's spent hours weaving weeds and thistledown in the milky moonlight, spinning her into existence.
From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate
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.
