tumbleweed
noun
tum·ble·weed
| \ ˈtəm-bəl-ˌwēd
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Definition of tumbleweed
: a plant (such as Russian thistle or any of several amaranths) that breaks away from its roots in the autumn and is driven about by the wind as a light rolling mass
Examples of tumbleweed in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
She's dabbled in everything from research on pelagic invertebrates to animations about beer to podcasts about fake tumbleweed farms. — Rose Eveleth, Scientific American, "Your Employer May Be Spying on You—and Wasting Its Time," 16 Aug. 2019 Thursday morning’s remnants, the remaining slips of detritus fluttering through Manhattan like modern tumbleweeds, now provide the perfect metaphor. — Jacob Feldman, SI.com, "The 2019 Sports On-Air All-Stars," 11 July 2019 Empty miles unfold along the highway, where tufts of tumbleweed gust by. — Eric Ogden, Marie Claire, "The Invisible Victims," 10 June 2019 Before long, people were canning their meat to avoid starvation, eating them along with brined tumbleweed. — Kevin Baker, Harper's magazine, "Where Our New World Begins," 10 May 2019 Desert Dreamin’ ✨ a first look at the master bedroom at #thatdeserthouse ?? where’s my tumbleweed emoji?!? — Elizabeth Gulino, House Beautiful, "That Instagram-Famous Joshua Tree Home is Finally on Airbnb," 8 Mar. 2019 Untangling the tumbleweed of twinkle lights was like tiptoeing back in time. — Al Kemp, The Seattle Times, "How I came to grips with a downsized Christmas," 12 Dec. 2018 The two ride, hang onto and smoothly clamber over the sculptural apparatus as if on an aerodynamic jungle-gym, one that moves with the grace of a tumbleweed. — Robert Greskovic, WSJ, "Momix Partners Dance With Illusion," 30 July 2018 Verde Valley, Arizona Arizona might bring to mind cacti, tumbleweeds and sandstorms, but the elevation and arid climate of Arizona’s Verde Valley are surprisingly grape-friendly. — Todd Plummer, Vogue, "Beyond Napa: 7 Emerging American Wine Regions to Visit Now," 29 Aug. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tumbleweed.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for tumbleweed
tumbleweed
noun
English Language Learners Definition of tumbleweed
: a plant found especially in the North American desert that breaks away from its roots and is blown across the ground by the wind
See the full definition for tumbleweed in the English Language Learners Dictionary
tumbleweed
noun
tum·ble·weed
| \ ˈtəm-bəl-ˌwēd
\
\
Kids Definition of tumbleweed
: a plant that breaks away from its roots in autumn and tumbles about in the wind