plant

/plɑːnt/ (bre, ipa) · /plænt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈplant/ (ame, mw)

plant — 名詞

  • plantsingular
  • plantsplural

1. any living thing — like a flower, vegetable, or small bush — that grows from soi

1.名詞A1
釋義

植物

有根、莖、葉的活體生物

any living thing — like a flower, vegetable, or small bush — that grows from soil or water, normally has roots and green leaves, and cannot move from where it is.

例句

Maya keeps a small spider plant on her bedroom windowsill.

Maya 在臥室窗台上養了一盆小小的吊蘭。

countable noun: a [noun] / her [noun]

Tomato plants need plenty of sunlight and warm soil to grow well.

番茄植物需要充足的陽光與溫暖的土壤才能長得好。

plural: [noun] need [conditions]

同義詞
  • flower

    only the flowering kind, often grown for beauty

  • vegetation

    uncountable; refers to plants in an area collectively

  • herb

    small soft-stemmed plant, often used for cooking or medicine

用法筆記

Used very broadly for any non-animal living organism that grows in one place. Often contrasted in everyday speech with 'tree' even though trees are technically plants too.

常見錯誤

❌I have many plant in my room.
✅I have many plants in my room.
💡use the plural -s when there is more than one.

2. all of a company's large industrial machinery, considered together as one mass o

2.名詞C1
釋義

機具設備

公司用於生產的大型機器（不可數）

all of a company's large industrial machinery, considered together as one mass of business assets rather than as individual items.

例句

The factory has invested heavily in new plant over the past three years.

這家工廠在過去三年大量投資新的機具設備。

uncountable: invest in new plant (no plural -s)

Maintenance of plant and equipment costs the brewery about ten million dollars yearly.

這家啤酒廠維護機具與設備每年大約花一千萬美元。

fixed pairing: plant and equipment

同義詞
  • machinery

    more common everyday word for the same idea

  • equipment

    broader; includes tools and small devices, not only large machines

用法筆記

Mass noun — never takes a plural -s in this sense, even when several machines are meant. Most common in accounting, engineering, and business contexts; rare in everyday conversation.

常見錯誤

❌They bought three new plants for the workshop.
✅They bought new plant for the workshop.
💡in this industrial sense, 'plant' has no plural form.

3. a building or group of buildings where one specific kind of thing is made, or wh

3.名詞B2
釋義

工廠；廠房

製造特定產品或發電的場所

a building or group of buildings where one specific kind of thing is made, or where energy such as electricity is generated.

例句

Toyota is opening a new car plant near Kaohsiung next year.

Toyota 明年將在高雄附近開設一座新的汽車工廠。

common compound: car plant / chemical plant

The nuclear power plant in Fukushima was damaged by the 2011 tsunami.

福島的核能發電廠在 2011 年的海嘯中受損。

compound: power plant / nuclear plant

同義詞
  • factory

    everyday word; 'plant' often sounds larger or more technical

  • mill

    for grinding, sawing, or weaving — paper mill, steel mill

  • refinery

    specifically for purifying oil, sugar, or metals

用法筆記

Almost always appears as a compound: 'power plant', 'car plant', 'chemical plant', 'bottling plant'. The first word names what is made or generated there.

常見錯誤

❌She works in a plant of cars.
✅She works in a car plant.
💡the product comes before 'plant' as a compound, not after with 'of'.

4. the very large vehicles and machines, such as bulldozers, cranes, and diggers, t

4.名詞C1
釋義

重型機具

工地或農場用的大型機械（不可數）

the very large vehicles and machines, such as bulldozers, cranes, and diggers, that are used on building sites or by farms for heavy outdoor work.

例句

Heavy plant is moving slowly along the motorway, so expect long delays.

重型機具正在高速公路上慢慢移動，預期會塞很久。

uncountable; common warning sign wording

The construction firm rents most of its plant rather than buying it outright.

這家營造公司大部分的重型機具是用租的，而不是直接買下來。

verb pattern: rent / hire plant

同義詞
  • machinery

    broader; 'plant' here means specifically the very large outdoor kind

  • equipment

    general; doesn't suggest the same scale as 'plant'

用法筆記

Mainly British English; in American English, 'heavy equipment' or 'heavy machinery' is preferred. Often appears in compounds like 'plant hire' (machine rental) and on warning signs.

常見錯誤

❌Two heavy plants were parked at the building site.
✅Heavy plant was parked at the building site.
💡uncountable in this sense.

5. an item, often drugs or a weapon, that someone has hidden among another person's

5.名詞C1
釋義

栽贓物

故意藏入他人物品的栽贓證物

an item, often drugs or a weapon, that someone has hidden among another person's belongings on purpose so that the police will think that person committed a crime.

例句

Marcus insisted the cocaine in his suitcase was a plant by his ex-wife.

Marcus 堅稱行李箱裡的古柯鹼是他前妻栽贓的。

common pattern: be a plant (by [person])

Defence lawyers argued the gun in the locker was clearly a plant.

辯護律師主張，置物櫃裡的那把槍明顯是栽贓的。

同義詞
  • frame-up

    the whole scheme of falsely blaming someone, not the object itself

  • setup

    informal; the trick or trap as a whole

用法筆記

Almost always singular and used with the verb 'be' — 'it was a plant', 'the drugs are a plant'. Carries a strong claim of being framed, not just accused.

常見錯誤

❌The police found a plant of drugs in my car.
✅The drugs in my car were a plant.
💡say the item itself was a plant; don't use 'a plant of [thing]'.

6. a person who is sent in secret to join a group, work somewhere, or sit in an aud

6.名詞C2
釋義

臥底；安插者

祕密被派去打探或假裝身分的人

a person who is sent in secret to join a group, work somewhere, or sit in an audience so that they can pass back information or pretend to react as a real member would.

例句

It turned out that one of the gang members was a police plant all along.

結果發現那群幫派成員裡，有一個一直都是警方的臥底。

common pattern: a police plant / a company plant

Lina realised her cheerful coworker was actually a plant from head office.

Lina 發現她那位開朗的同事其實是總公司安插過來的人。

同義詞
  • spy

    broader; works for any government or rival, not always inserted into a group

  • mole

    specifically someone hidden inside an enemy organisation for years

  • informant

    passes information from inside, but may not have been planted there

用法筆記

Often modified by the organisation behind the person — 'a police plant', 'a CIA plant', 'a company plant'. Distinguish from sense 5 (where 'plant' is an object, not a person).

常見錯誤

❌He plant inside the company.
✅He was a plant inside the company.
💡'plant' here is a noun describing what someone is, not a verb on its own.

plant — 動詞