weed
B1Informal, formal (gardening context), slang (drug context).
Definition
Meaning
A wild plant, especially one growing where it is not wanted and competing with cultivated plants.
Slang for marijuana (cannabis). Also used as a verb meaning to remove unwanted plants or to remove something undesirable more generally.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The meaning shifts dramatically from a nuisance plant to a recreational drug. Context is crucial for disambiguation.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The horticultural and slang meanings are shared, but the verb 'to weed out' is slightly more common in American English. 'Weeds' as an exclamation of annoyance ('Weeds!') is very UK-specific.
Connotations
In gardening contexts, universally negative. In drug contexts, connotations vary by speaker (positive for users, negative for opponents). The verb 'to weed out' has a neutral-to-negative connotation of removing bad elements.
Frequency
The slang meaning for marijuana is extremely high-frequency in informal registers in both regions. The gardening meaning is moderate-frequency.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
weed something outweed through somethingbe weeded outVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “weed out”
- “grow like a weed”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used metaphorically: 'The new management weeded out inefficient practices.'
Academic
Primarily botanical: 'The study focused on herbicide-resistant weeds.' In social sciences: 'Processes that weed out underperforming students.'
Everyday
Gardening: 'I need to remove the weeds from my lawn.' Slang: 'He was caught with weed.'
Technical
Botany/Agriculture: 'Invasive weed species.' Pharmacology: 'The effects of medicinal cannabis.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- I spent the afternoon weeding the flower beds.
- We need to weed out the applications from unqualified candidates.
American English
- She's weeding the vegetable garden this morning.
- The coach weeded out the players who lacked commitment.
adverb
British English
- Not commonly used as an adverb.
- Not commonly used as an adverb.
American English
- Not commonly used as an adverb.
- Not commonly used as an adverb.
adjective
British English
- He was caught with weed paraphernalia.
- It's a major weed problem in that field.
American English
- They live in a weed-legal state.
- The weed killer was very effective.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- There are many weeds in my garden.
- The gardener pulls the weeds.
- I need to buy some spray to kill the weeds.
- They found some weed in his pocket.
- The new policy aims to weed out incompetent staff.
- The legal status of weed varies from country to country.
- Despite being classified as a weed, the dandelion has several culinary uses.
- The investigation weeded through thousands of documents to find the evidence.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
A plant you DON'T want in your garden is a WEED. It's a Wicked, Evil, Encroaching Dandelion (or similar).
Conceptual Metaphor
UNDESIRABLE ELEMENTS ARE WEEDS (e.g., 'weed out corruption').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'трава' (grass) in the gardening sense only. The drug 'weed' is чаще 'травка' or 'конопля' in slang. The verb 'to weed' is 'пропалывать'. Beware of false friend 'weed' ≠ 'видеть' (to see).
Common Mistakes
- Using 'a weed' as a countable noun for marijuana (usually uncountable: 'some weed'). Confusing 'weed' (n) with 'weeded' (v). Misspelling as 'wead'.
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence does 'weed' refer to marijuana?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
In gardening, yes, it's an unwanted plant. Culturally, some plants called 'weeds' (like dandelions) are edible or medicinal. As slang for cannabis, opinions vary widely.
Yes. 'To weed the garden' means to remove weeds. 'To weed out' is a phrasal verb meaning to remove unwanted items or people from a group.
'Marijuana' is a standard term for the drug from the cannabis plant. 'Weed' is a common slang term for the same substance. 'Weed' is more informal.
It likely originates from the idea of cannabis being a plant that grows like a weed (vigorously and widely), and from anti-drug campaigns labelling it as an undesirable, invasive substance.