Dictionary.com

wreathe

[ reeth ]
/ rið /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: wreathe / wreathed / wreathing on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object), wreathed; wreathed or (Archaic) wreath·en; wreath·ing.
to encircle or adorn with or as with a wreath.
to form as a wreath by twisting or twining.
to surround in curving or curling masses or form.
to envelop: a face wreathed in smiles.
verb (used without object), wreathed; wreathed or (Archaic) wreath·en; wreath·ing.
to take the form of a wreath or wreaths.
to move in curving or curling masses, as smoke.
QUIZ
QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!
In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”
Question 1 of 7
The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
affect
effect
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT
Meet Grammar CoachWrite or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar helpImprove Your Writing
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Origin of wreathe

1520–30; earlier wrethe, partly v. use of wreath, partly back formation from wrethen, obsolete past participle of writhe

OTHER WORDS FROM wreathe

wreather, nounin·ter·wreathe, verb, in·ter·wreathed, in·ter·wreath·ing.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH wreathe

wraith, wreath, wreathe , writhe

Words nearby wreathe

wrathful, wrathy, wreak, wreak havoc, wreath, wreathe, wreathed column, wreathy, wreck, wreckage, wrecked
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to wreathe

convolute, pucker, scrunch, buckle, coil, contort, curve, fold, twirl, twist, writhe, bend, bulge, crumple, curl, loop, skew, spiral, swerve, veer

How to use wreathe in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wreathe

wreathe
/ (riːð) /
verb
to form into or take the form of a wreath by intertwining or twisting together
(tr) to decorate, crown, or encircle with wreaths
to move or cause to move in a twisting waysmoke wreathed up to the ceiling

Word Origin for wreathe

C16: perhaps back formation from wrēthen, from Old English writhen, past participle of wrīthan to writhe; see wreath
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
FEEDBACK