weed

¹ American  

[weed] / wid /

noun

1. a valueless plant growing wild, especially one that grows on cultivated ground to the exclusion or injury of the desired crop.

2. any undesirable or troublesome plant, especially one that grows profusely where it is not wanted.

   The vacant lot was covered with weeds.

3. Informal. a cigarette or cigar.

4. Slang. a marijuana cigarette.

5. a thin, ungainly person or animal.

6. a wretched or useless animal, especially a horse unfit for racing or breeding purposes.

7. the weed,

   1. Informal. tobacco.

   2. Slang. marijuana.

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verb (used with object)

1. to free from weeds or troublesome plants; root out weeds from.

   to weed a garden.

2. to root out or remove (a weed or weeds), as from a garden (often followed byout ).

   to weed out crab grass from a lawn.

3. to remove as being undesirable, inefficient, or superfluous (often followed byout ).

   to weed out inexperienced players.

4. to rid (something) of undesirable or superfluous elements.

verb (used without object)

1. to remove weeds or the like.

idioms

1. (deep) in / into the weeds, Also in deep weeds

   1. (of a restaurant worker) overwhelmed and falling behind in serving customers.

      Our waitress was so deep in the weeds that we waited 40 minutes for our burgers.

   2. in trouble; overwhelmed by problems.

      He knows our marriage is in deep weeds.

   3. involved in the details.

      I’m in the weeds of planning my wedding.

weed ² American  

[weed] / wid /

noun

1. weeds, mourning garments.

   widow's weeds.

2. a mourning band of black crepe or cloth, as worn on a man's hat or coat sleeve.

3. Archaic. Often weeds

   1. a garment.

      clad in rustic weeds.

   2. clothing.

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Weed ³ American  

[weed] / wid /

noun

1. Thurlow 1797–1882, U.S. journalist and politician.

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weed ¹ British  

/ wiːd /

noun

1. any plant that grows wild and profusely, esp one that grows among cultivated plants, depriving them of space, food, etc

2. slang

   1. tobacco

   2. marijuana

3. informal a thin or unprepossessing person

4. an inferior horse, esp one showing signs of weakness of constitution

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verb

1. to remove (useless or troublesome plants) from (a garden, etc)

weed ² British  

/ wiːd /

noun

1. rare a black crepe band worn to indicate mourning See also weeds

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Other Word Forms

• unweeded adjective
• weeder noun
• weedless adjective
• weedlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of weed¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English wed(e), weid, Old English wēod; cognate with Old Saxon wiod “weed,” Middle Dutch wiet “fern”

Origin of weed²

First recorded before 900; Middle English wed(e), Old English (ge)wǣde, wǣde “garment, clothing”; cognate with Old Saxon wād, gewādi, Old High German wāt, gewāti; wadmal

Example Sentences

“She had let the weeds grow,” Yanit-Nadal said of a character in “Late Bloomer.”

From Los Angeles Times

But they also warned broadly that 2026 could be the year the market begins to weed out many young application-layer AI startups.

From The Wall Street Journal

Now those former hay fields sit dry, with weeds poking through the parched soil.

From Los Angeles Times

One method -- termed "moving mountains" -- was described in 2015 by China's top industry and technology regulator as "first cutting down trees, then clearing weeds and finally stripping away the topsoil, causing irreparable damage".

From Barron's

He said he’d like to give supervisors greater authority to quickly weed out complaints that “are demonstrably false on their face” based on body camera footage and other evidence.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• drag
• haul
• pick
• pluck
• remove
• rip
• stretch
• take out
• tear
• tow
• trail
• tug
• yank