weeds
weeds — noun
- weedssingular
- weedsesplural
1. Plants that grow where people do not want them, such as in a garden, lawn, or fa
Plants that grow where people do not want them, such as in a garden, lawn, or farm field. Weeds spread quickly and compete with the crops or flowers that are being cared for.
Selim spent the whole Saturday morning pulling weeds from his vegetable garden.
pull weeds from + [location]
The abandoned lot behind the school was completely overgrown with tall weeds and thorny bushes.
overgrown with weeds
Nkechi applied a natural weed killer to stop the dandelions from spreading across her lawn.
After the spring rains, weeds sprouted everywhere between the cracks in the pavement.
The farmer told the children that weeds steal water and sunlight from the crops.
- wild plants
neutral term without the negative meaning of 'weeds'
- undergrowth
describes bushes and smaller plants growing thickly, not necessarily unwanted
文法句型
plural: weeds
countable: a weed, the weeds
用法筆記
The singular form 'a weed' refers to one such plant; 'weeds' is the usual plural.
常見錯誤
2. An informal word for the cannabis plant, especially its dried leaves and flowers
An informal word for the cannabis plant, especially its dried leaves and flowers that people smoke or eat for their relaxing effects.
Joshua could smell weed burning as he walked past the open window of the old house.
smell weed / smell of weed
Heloísa warned her younger brother that smoking weed could get him into trouble at school.
informal: smoking weed
The documentary explored how attitudes toward weed have changed over the past fifty years in Europe.
Tamar laughed and said that her cousin always smelled of weed when he came home late at night.
文法句型
uncountable: weed
用法筆記
Unlike sense 1 ('unwanted plants'), this sense is uncountable: use 'weed' with a singular verb, e.g. 'Weed is illegal in many places.' Avoid using this meaning in formal or academic writing.
常見錯誤
3. An older, informal word for tobacco or tobacco products such as cigarettes, ciga
An older, informal word for tobacco or tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, or pipe tobacco.
Grandpa sat on the porch slowly rolling weed into a thin cigarette with his yellowed fingers.
dated slang: roll weed into a cigarette
Beatrix opened the old tin box and the strong smell of weed and dusty paper hit her nose.
The old sergeant cut his weed with a small pocket knife before filling his wooden pipe.
Minh had never tried smoking weed and thought the smell reminded him of his uncle's coat.
- tobacco
the neutral, modern term for the plant and its products
- cigarettes
the most common tobacco product; 'weeds' is broader though less precise
文法句型
uncountable: weed
用法筆記
This sense is now dated. It appears mainly in older books, movies, and rural speech. Modern readers are more likely to understand 'weeds' as cannabis (sense 2) than as tobacco.
常見錯誤
4. A person who is very thin, physically weak, or has a weak character that lets ot
A person who is very thin, physically weak, or has a weak character that lets others influence them too easily.
Faisal called the new kid a weed because he was so thin and could barely lift a box.
insult: call [someone] a weed
Stefan was a bit of a weed as a teenager, but he started weight training and grew much stronger.
The other players called him a weed, but Sayaka proved that size is not what wins a game.
Lien refused to be treated like a weed and stood up to the older girls in her class.
- strongman
a very strong person, opposite of a physically weak weed
文法句型
countable: a weed (singular), weeds (plural)
用法筆記
Used as an insult or a mildly unkind observation. It can refer to physical thinness or, less commonly, to a timid personality. This sense is less common in modern speech than the plant-related senses.
常見錯誤
weeds — verb
- weedspresent simple I / you / we / they
- weedses3rd person singular
- weedsing-ing form
- weedsedpast simple
1. To pull out or cut down unwanted plants that are growing in a garden, lawn, or f
To pull out or cut down unwanted plants that are growing in a garden, lawn, or farm field, so that the flowers or vegetables you are growing can get enough water, light, and space.
On Saturday morning, Rohan helped his grandmother weed the flower beds behind the house.
weed + [location] (transitive)
Selim spent two hours weeding the strawberry patch before the afternoon sun grew too hot.
The gardener showed the new intern how to weed between the lettuce rows without hurting the roots.
Nkechi knelt on the damp ground and began to weed around the rose bushes very carefully.
If you weed the garden now, the vegetables will grow much better before the summer harvest.
文法句型
transitive: weed + [location / area of ground]
intransitive: weed (no object)
用法筆記
The phrasal verb 'weed out' extends this meaning to figurative contexts: 'to weed out bad players from a team' means to remove the weakest or least suitable members. This is very common in modern English.