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
-
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
-
(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)
-
(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
-
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
-
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:
Board members asked if residual ammonia could be leaking from the open pipes that weave throughout the building.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Cotton and linen are often comfortable because they absorb moisture and allow air movement, although fabric weave, thickness and moisture handling also matter.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
As activists gather beneath tarpaulin sheets in New Delhi, often holding all-night political debates, singing or reciting poetry, delivery drivers from online platforms weave through the barricades.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Around 2023, drone makers supplying Ukrainian forces ramped up development of AI to lock onto targets, while commanders began to weave it into targeting systems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
I see them everywhere—in clouds, in wallpaper patterns, in the weave of a rug.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
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
That would break the spell Miyazaki weaves in every frame leading up to that moment.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
Elon Green weaves the mystery’s disparate threads into a single, unforgettable narrative.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
“And linguistically I just thought, ‘This is an acrobat,’ the way that Julián writes and weaves these two languages.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
He weaves the rope in and out of his fingers.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
On Saturday, about 100 people came together at Big Bear’s Veterans Park for Steers’ memorial, as the nearby lake glittered and swallows weaved through blue skies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 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
On a Wednesday in February in the Coachella Valley, more than two dozen farmworkers weaved up and down rows of strawberries, their gloved hands flicking quickly to pluck the fruit and stash it in boxes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
Feyi-Waboso then weaved his way through half the Munster defence to give Chiefs a 31-0 lead at the break.
From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2026
He got up and weaved his way between the chairs and tables to the toilet at the back of the room.
From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko
At a recent performance of his Valiant symphony in Chennai, he explained how he wove Schubert's Unfinished Symphony into Idhayam Pogudhey, a song from the 1979 Tamil film Puthiya Vaarpukkal.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026
He even developed a passion for reading: His last show, “Shelf Life,” wove in dozens of book recommendations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
Directors Raja Feather Kelly and Zack Winokur wove the scenes together with a choreographic sensibility that defined moments in time as well as its inexorable passage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 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
Babulya wove her fingers through the air, and the branches holding Dobrynya descended to the ground.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Reflecting on my childhood, I can see creativity woven into my family.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
But I have somehow assembled enough glittering people and enough secondhand objects — a woven rug, cushions, low tables, an impossible number of candles — that it feels like a tiny seventh-floor pop-up restaurant.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
In “Baldwin Street” Mr. Gowin and his wife share memories and sift through photos of their family in a conversation that is woven through the collection.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
For now, the humble paper check remains too deeply woven into the fabric of American life to truly rest in peace — even if writing one means playing a riskier game with swindlers.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
I’m carrying all my stuff in Mom’s woven tote bag.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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
Once wary of artificial intelligence, Hollywood is now striking up partnerships with AI start-ups and weaving the technology into productions more and more openly -- all while insisting the creative process itself will remain untouched.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
In the group stages, Kerim Alajbegovic's goal for Bosnia-Herzegovina against Qatar was a superb solo effort - a weaving run before a rising right-foot shot of high class.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
They settled on Ronnie Wood, a former member of the Faces who, ever since then, has engaged in the ancient art of guitar weaving with Keith Richards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
He’d sit in his chair on the veranda weaving mats or fish traps, or mending tools and household implements with Mawuli and me while Ma and Klenam cooked.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
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.
