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:
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
Despite his misgivings, their duets—her vocals bob and weave, while his are stolid and reassuring—immediately became hits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
Depending upon the size and design of the carpet, a piece can take a group of artisans up to a year to weave.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
Most villages had craft schools, where boys and girls learned how to weave cloth, carve wood, and master other skills that would land them steady work when they grew up.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
The conflation of spirituality and naked self-interest weaves throughout “Your Mother” as both Latif and Hwan distort their religions’ beliefs to justify their actions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Mr. Power weaves bits of his own life story into this book’s tapestry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 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
That would break the spell Miyazaki weaves in every frame leading up to that moment.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
The road to Allys’s house dips and weaves.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
Chatfield weaved seamlessly through different social movements in California throughout his life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
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
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
Basil ducked and weaved, drawing Cluny further out on to the common.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
The couple also wove Scottish traditions into their ceremony, taking part in a Celtic handfasting ritual, using pieces of fabric provided by both of their grandmothers.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
He was one of the few who wove what was happening in the country into his material.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 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
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
Instead of flying along with the Po-2s, they wove and dived around them.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
“This theater has always meant more than movies alone — it’s woven into the fabric of this neighborhood, and helping restore it is a privilege.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Then come the chips: hot, sturdy, generously salted, piled into black woven baskets alongside ramekins of fire-engine-red mild salsa and a darker, spicier version flecked with onion and jalapeño.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026
The couple said Scotland had long been woven into their relationship.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
But in the 1960s, she fused her mandala-faces and landscapes into dense, mysterious worlds—relief-like frontal fields in which deities, animals and foliage, woven together, blossom and interchange between figure and ground.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
A carved wooden box stood on a shelf pushed back behind a round basket woven from black and green telephone wires.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
With Hartnett weaving through the entire story, it’s nearly impossible to get a handle on what’s really going on in “Verity.”
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
From Fair Isle knitting to spinning, fleece preparation, weaving, lace knitting to wool skirting, there is a huge range for visitors to discover.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Car radios were still uncommon, but one afternoon, the airborne commander spent 20 minutes chewing out a Sunday driver he saw weaving and dodging through a traffic jam in Queens.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
The prosthesis helped him return to weaving, but that was not his only source of income.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026
Lately, she’d been weaving it into six braids while it was still damp so that she could have wavy hair in the morning.
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
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