: any of various vigorous weedy plants especially of the amaranth family
Examples of pigweed in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Weed seeds can last a long time in the soil with purslane and dandelion seeds remaining viable up to 20 years and pigweed up to 40 years.
—
Dawn Pettinelli,
Hartford Courant,
13 June 2026
Common types are crabgrass, goosegrass, giant foxtail, smooth pigweed, common lambs quarters, purslane, galinsoga, common ragweed, and tall morning glory.
—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
14 Mar. 2026
When pigweed is young, hoeing is often all that is needed to kill it, but due to the deep taproot, established older plants are difficult to remove.
—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Aug. 2025
Ultimately, Roundup was no match for the pigweed’s evolutionary vitality.
—
New York Times,
11 Aug. 2021
Peppers and Pigweed Leafminers preferred both pigweed (also called amaranthus) and ragweed to pepper plants in a study at the Coastal Plains Experiment Station in Tifton, Georgia.
—
The Editors,
Good Housekeeping,
24 Apr. 2020
Some farmers who plant dicamba-tolerant soybeans and cotton say dicamba's use during the height of the growing season is their only defense against pigweed, an invasive plant that has mutated and has become resistant to glyphosate herbicides.
—
Stephen Steed,
Arkansas Online,
20 Dec. 2019
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Dawn Pettinelli,
Hartford Courant,
13 June 2026
Common types are crabgrass, goosegrass, giant foxtail, smooth pigweed, common lambs quarters, purslane, galinsoga, common ragweed, and tall morning glory.
—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
14 Mar. 2026
When pigweed is young, hoeing is often all that is needed to kill it, but due to the deep taproot, established older plants are difficult to remove.
—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Aug. 2025
Ultimately, Roundup was no match for the pigweed’s evolutionary vitality.
—
New York Times,
11 Aug. 2021
Peppers and Pigweed Leafminers preferred both pigweed (also called amaranthus) and ragweed to pepper plants in a study at the Coastal Plains Experiment Station in Tifton, Georgia.
—
The Editors,
Good Housekeeping,
24 Apr. 2020
Some farmers who plant dicamba-tolerant soybeans and cotton say dicamba's use during the height of the growing season is their only defense against pigweed, an invasive plant that has mutated and has become resistant to glyphosate herbicides.
—
Stephen Steed,
Arkansas Online,
20 Dec. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Pigweed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pigweed. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pigweed
noun
pig·weed
-ˌwēd 
: any of various weedy plants especially of the two families to which the goosefoots and amaranths belong
Medical Definition
pigweed
noun
pig·weed
ˈpig-ˌwēd
: any of several plants of the genus Amaranthus (as A. retroflexus and A. hybridus) with pollen that acts as a hay fever allergen
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