wreathe
Americanverb (used with object)
-
wreathes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wreathed,
past participle, past
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wreathen,
past participle (Archaic)
-
wreathing
present participle
verb
-
to form into or take the form of a wreath by intertwining or twisting together
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(tr) to decorate, crown, or encircle with wreaths
-
to move or cause to move in a twisting way
smoke wreathed up to the ceiling
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
wreathesimple
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wreathessimple
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have wreathedperfect
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have wreathenperfect
-
has wreathedperfect
-
has wreathenperfect
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am wreathingprogressive
-
are wreathingprogressive
-
is wreathingprogressive
-
have been wreathingperfect progressive
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has been wreathingperfect progressive
Past
-
wreathedsimple
-
had wreathedperfect
-
had wreathenperfect
-
was wreathingprogressive
-
were wreathingprogressive
-
had been wreathingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of wreathe
1520–30; earlier wrethe, partly v. use of wreath, partly back formation from wrethen, obsolete past participle of writhe
Vocabulary lists containing wreathe
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:
But if she and her wreathe of shadow-selves are looking for labels, “writer” suits them all just fine.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2017
Two bizarre plotlines wreathe around each other in “The Dark Room.”
From Washington Post ● Jan. 6, 2017
About 1,300 active satellites wreathe the globe in a crowded nest of orbits, providing worldwide communications, GPS navigation, weather forecasting and planetary surveillance.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 10, 2015
His bald head is radiant, his skull capacious, and the black hair at his temples resembles nothing so much as the laurel leaves that used to wreathe the heads of victorious Roman generals.
From The New Yorker ● Jan. 16, 2012
Even at her age she still feels the urge to wreathe herself in flowers.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
Shakeeva’s self-portrait wreathes her face with birds and flowers, while Smitchkova centers peacocks and orange trees behind an open blue door flanked by ornamental tiles.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 12, 2022
"It has come up before that the wreathes themselves are purchased from a related entity," he said.
From Fox News ● Dec. 14, 2021
There was the Instagram tribute, a picture of wreathes in front of the building named for Tillman, “honoring” the victims of the shooting in the Charleston church.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 9, 2015
Earlier, DUP minister Arlene Foster joined UK party leaders in laying wreathes at the Cenotaph in London.
From BBC ● May 8, 2015
Scattered around it were faded wreathes and crushed bouquets of plastic flowers, which made the place seem even sadder.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
There’s no bad sightline in the space, from either the ground floor or upper level balcony, which looks out over a stage wreathed in pink neon and wood cutouts evoking the industrial cityscape outside.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2026
Jesus's first goal since January 1 left Arteta wreathed in smiles and Watkins' close-range strike in stoppage-time couldn't stop Arsenal revelling in their statement victory.
From Barron's ● Dec. 30, 2025
Mr. Chen shows the family trundling in a horse-drawn cart toward forbidding mountains wreathed in mist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
Now, with the help of the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have documented evidence that Fomalhaut is a dynamic star wreathed in cosmic chaos.
From New York Times ● May 8, 2023
It was a skyless world, in which his eye, through dim gulfs of shadowy air, saw only ever-mounting slopes, great walls of stone behind great walls, and frowning precipices wreathed with mist.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
The latter is completely concealed in a May-bush, wears a wooden crown wreathen with flowers, and carries a wooden sword.
From The Golden Bough by Sir James George Frazer
And over the heads of the twain did hover winged Cupids and watched them laughingly, whiles fair dames and their gallants, their brows wreathen with flowers, footed it on the lush grass.
From The Merrie Tales of Jacques Tournebroche And Child Life in Town and Country by A. R. (Alfred Richard) Allinson
The peculiar iron rain happens because one side of the planet perpetually faces its parent star, wreathing one side of the planet in eternal daylight.
From Salon ● Mar. 11, 2020
A central garden atrium, with a translucent roof faced with more lath, is the home’s hub — all rooms pivot off that fulcrum, wreathing the space and its 12-foot-high ceilings with glass.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2019
Her tunes scatter and dance, changing harmonies often and wreathing themselves around her prolix vocals.
From New York Times ● Jul. 26, 2017
It is just one of three fires wreathing parts of the Golden State in smoke.
From Economist ● Aug. 18, 2016
His slate-blue eyes pierced through the veil of smoke wreathing his features.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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