weave

American  

[weev] / wiv /

verb (used with object)

wove, weaved, woven, wove, weaving

1. to interlace (threads, yarns, strips, fibrous material, etc.) so as to form a fabric or material.

2. to form by interlacing threads, yarns, strands, or strips of some material.

   to weave a basket; to weave cloth.

3. to form by combining various elements or details into a connected whole.

   to weave a tale; to weave a plan.

   Synonyms:

   compose, construct, fabricate, contrive

4. 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

5. 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.

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verb (used without object)

wove, weaved, woven, wove, weaving

1. to form or construct something, as fabric, by interlacing threads, yarns, strips, etc.

2. to compose a connected whole by combining various elements or details.

3. 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.

4. to move or proceed in a winding course or from side to side.

   dancers weaving in time to the music.

noun

1. a pattern of or method for interlacing yarns.

2. hairweave.

weave British  

/ wiːv /

verb

1. to form (a fabric) by interlacing (yarn, etc), esp on a loom

2. (tr) to make or construct by such a process

   to weave a shawl

3. (tr) to make or construct (an artefact, such as a basket) by interlacing (a pliable material, such as cane)

4. (of a spider) to make (a web)

5. (tr) to construct by combining separate elements into a whole

6. (tr; often foll by in, into, through, etc) to introduce

   to weave factual details into a fiction

7. to create (a way, etc) by moving from side to side

   to weave through a crowd

8. (intr) () vet science (of a stabled horse) to swing the head, neck, and body backwards and forwards

9. informal to hurry; start to do something

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noun

1. the method or pattern of weaving or the structure of a woven fabric

Other Word Forms

• outweave verb (used with object)
• reweave verb
• weaving noun

Etymology

Origin of weave

before 900; Middle English weven, Old English wefan; cognate with German weben, Old Norse vefa; web

Example Sentences

Set on a country estate, it toggles between the Regency Era and the present and weaves together physics, history and a whodunnit involving the poet Lord Byron.

From The Wall Street Journal

The delight for the reader comes from the author’s casting a wide net over the basketball universe and choosing a not-always-obvious moment to weave into a saga.

From The Wall Street Journal

But at least initially, the machines created chaos, with many riders zooming wherever and however they wanted — on sidewalks, down one-way streets, weaving between cars.

From New York Times

“My dream has become a nightmare,” López said recently, waiting to weave between cars at a light.

From Seattle Times

“It’s to give welcome to the king, our Lord Jesus Christ,” said Hidalgo, who has led traditional Mexican palm weaving workshops here for half a dozen years, along with his wife.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• braid
• careen
• compose
• construct
• create
• entwine
• fabricate
• fold
• fuse
• incorporate
• intertwine
• introduce
• knit
• loop
• mesh
• sew
• snake
• spin
• splice
• twist