wheat
Americannoun
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wheat
plural
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the grain of any cereal grass of the genus Triticum, especially T. aestivum, used in the form of flour for making bread, cakes, etc., and for other culinary and nutritional purposes.
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the plant itself.
noun
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any annual or biennial grass of the genus Triticum, native to the Mediterranean region and W Asia but widely cultivated, having erect flower spikes and light brown grains
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the grain of any of these grasses, used in making flour, pasta, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of wheat
before 900; Middle English whete, Old English hwǣte; cognate with German Weizen, Old Norse hveiti, Gothic hwaiteis; akin to white
Explanation
Wheat is the grain most commonly used in things like bread, pasta, and cake. When wheat is ground, it becomes flour you can use for baking. Who wants cupcakes? A field of wheat looks like tall, green grasses — the wheat turns golden-colored when it's ready to be harvested. More farmland is planted with wheat than any other crop, as it's a major worldwide source of carbohydrates. Some people are sensitive or allergic to the gluten in wheat, but most of us can safely eat and enjoy the many foods made from wheat. The Germanic source means "that which is white," from a root meaning "to shine."
Vocabulary lists containing wheat
Yellow
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Brown
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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.
Spicy, sweet and curiously chewy, Chinese latiao -- literally "spicy strips" -- are made by cooking wheat flour dough at a high temperature and pressure.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Russia and Ukraine are among the world’s largest grain exporters, and wheat shipments from the two countries are a vital source of food for many poor countries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Although it was mostly carrying wheat, it also had a cargo of dinosaur fossils from Alberta that were being moved to the UK.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
In a second post, Newsom amplified a post on X that shows how the prices of items like rice, cotton and wheat have increased since the start of the year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Then I was up to my knees in long-distance Dakota wheat fields, a sea of wheat bent by the breeze, halfway to harvest.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
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.
