weed
noun
a valueless plant growing wild, especially one that grows on cultivated ground to the exclusion or injury of the desired crop.
weed
1 American
[weed]
/ wid /
noun
-
a valueless plant growing wild, especially one that grows on cultivated ground to the exclusion or injury of the desired crop.
-
any undesirable or troublesome plant, especially one that grows profusely where it is not wanted.
The vacant lot was covered with weeds.
-
Informal. a cigarette or cigar.
-
Slang. a marijuana cigarette.
-
a thin, ungainly person or animal.
-
a wretched or useless animal, especially a horse unfit for racing or breeding purposes.
-
the weed,
verb (used with object)
-
weeds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
weeded,
past participle, past
-
weeding
present participle
-
to free from weeds or troublesome plants; root out weeds from.
to weed a garden.
-
to root out or remove (a weed or weeds), as from a garden (often followed byout ).
to weed out crab grass from a lawn.
-
to remove as being undesirable, inefficient, or superfluous (often followed byout ).
to weed out inexperienced players.
-
to rid (something) of undesirable or superfluous elements.
verb (used without object)
-
weeds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
weeded,
past participle, past
-
weeding
present participle
idioms
weed
2
American
[weed]
/ wid /
noun
-
weeds, mourning garments.
widow's weeds.
-
a mourning band of black crepe or cloth, as worn on a man's hat or coat sleeve.
-
Archaic. Often weeds
-
a garment.
clad in rustic weeds.
-
clothing.
-
Weed
3
American
[weed]
/ wid /
noun
weed
1
British
/ wiːd /
noun
-
any plant that grows wild and profusely, esp one that grows among cultivated plants, depriving them of space, food, etc
-
slang
-
tobacco
-
marijuana
-
-
informal a thin or unprepossessing person
-
an inferior horse, esp one showing signs of weakness of constitution
verb
weed
2
British
/ wiːd /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
weedsimple
-
weedssimple
-
have weededperfect
-
has weededperfect
-
am weedingprogressive
-
are weedingprogressive
-
is weedingprogressive
-
have been weedingperfect progressive
-
has been weedingperfect progressive
Past
-
weededsimple
-
had weededperfect
-
was weedingprogressive
-
were weedingprogressive
-
had been weedingperfect progressive
Future
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; cf. wadmal
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:
He feels you have to "weed through" this to try and "maintain some sort of sense of taste".
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
So don’t weed your garden and pull them out.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
As in the Progressive Era, Americans want solutions to weed out government corruption.
From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2026
Social media companies bear the sole responsibility for checking that Australia-based users are 16 or older, and must prove they have taken "reasonable steps" to weed out young teenagers.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
She would sit in the backyard with him, or play with Baby, or watch him weed the vegetable patch.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
“It’s kind of independent of all the other software, whether or not it’s the stuff you build yourself or buy from other vendors,” Bernstein analyst Peter Weed told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
Weed said that management “showed off the potential tailwinds from the shiny new acquisitions.”
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 18, 2026
Weed pollen will also start to play a part from June until September.
From BBC ● May 30, 2025
Universal and Mattel have tapped Akiva Goldsman — an Oscar-winning screenwriter known for “A Beautiful Mind” and “Cinderella Man” — to produce the picture under his banner, Weed Road.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2024
It is a shame that we will have to lose the Weed, but I fear there really is no way to warn him.
From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin
Flowering plants in pollinator gardens, agricultural fields, and residential landscapes often grow alongside weeds that are controlled with herbicides.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
Over 500 personnel in protective gear have been posted on beaches to clean up the foul-smelling weeds.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Yurok revegetation crews culled invasive weeds and planted nearly half a million native seedlings across 50 species, including redwoods and black cottonwood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
If the bees and the weeds were OK, I could be OK too.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
He capered out from under the porch where he lived in hot weather, and ran circles around us, dropping down to slide his hind end in the weeds.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
The late ayatollah over the years weeded out potential clerical rivals, including former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who played kingmaker when Khamenei was selected as supreme leader in 1989.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026
The long biotech winter cleaned up the sector: Many biotech companies that went public too early during the COVID-inspired biotech frenzy got weeded out by the sector’s subsequent weakness, Renna says.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2025
We weeded it out a long time ago.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2024
It seems as though all of these people ultimately had second thoughts and decided against taking part, or were weeded out by voir dire.
From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2024
God bless Rooster Jim; he kept my garden weeded and chickens happy that whole week.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
Fast-spreading pioneer and weeding ferns created extensive fern savannahs.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
Habiba, who spoke to AFP while busy weeding, is proud to have been farming in Nuristan province for decades.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
The eight-week programme is being held at the group's field in Sion and involves planting hedges, weeding, watering and studying the concept of sustainability.
From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026
Gripp officially retired from the nursery, but he was a frequent helper several times a week, weeding, dividing plants, answering customer questions and regaling them with his orchid-hunting stories.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2026
I didn’t much mind weeding the garden, usually.
From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon
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.
