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definitions

weed

1
[weed]
See more synonyms for weed on Thesaurus.com
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.
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 by out): to weed out crab grass from a lawn.
  3. to remove as being undesirable, inefficient, or superfluous (often followed by out): 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, Slang.
    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.
    Also in deep weeds.

Origin of weed

1
before 900; Middle English wede, Old English wēod; cognate with Old Saxon wiod weed, Middle Dutch wiet fern
Related formsweed·less, adjectiveweed·like, adjectiveun·weed·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for weeding

tear, haul, rip, tow, pluck, trail, drag, remove, pick, stretch, tug, yank, comb, scour, scrape, annihilate, exterminate, displace, demolish, overthrow

Examples from the Web for weeding

Contemporary Examples of weeding

Historical Examples of weeding

  • He was "weeding" with both hands and he looked agitated and—yes, frightened.

    Thankful's Inheritance

    Joseph C. Lincoln

  • They also work in the fields—light work, such as weeding and planting.

  • They have attained this condition by centuries of weeding out the unfit.

    The Skylark of Space

    Edward Elmer Smith and Lee Hawkins Garby

  • Sabrina herself was in the garden now, weeding the balm-bed.

  • That satisfied all parties, and the weeding began that afternoon.

    A Missionary Twig

    Emma L. Burnett

British Dictionary definitions for weeding

weed

1
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. the weedtobacco
    2. marijuana
  3. informal a thin or unprepossessing person
  4. an inferior horse, esp one showing signs of weakness of constitution
verb
  1. to remove (useless or troublesome plants) from (a garden, etc)
Derived Formsweeder, nounweedless, adjectiveweedlike, adjective

Word Origin for weed

Old English weod; related to Old Saxon wiod, Old High German wiota fern

weed

2
noun
  1. rare a black crepe band worn to indicate mourningSee also weeds

Word Origin for weed

Old English wǣd, wēd; related to Old Saxon wād, Old High German wāt, Old Norse vāth
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for weeding

weed

v.

"to clear the ground of weeds," late Old English weodian, from the source of weed (n.). Related: Weeded; weeding.

weed

n.

"plant not valued for use or beauty," Old English weod, uueod "grass, herb, weed," from Proto-Germanic *weud- (cf. Old Saxon wiod, East Frisian wiud), of unknown origin. Meaning "tobacco" is from c.1600; that of "marijuana" is from 1920s.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper