: any of a family (Cyperaceae, the sedge family) of usually tufted monocotyledonous marsh plants differing from the related grasses in having achenes and solid stems
especially
: any of a cosmopolitan genus (Carex)
-er/-est
1
: of, relating to, or like sedge
2
: overgrown or bordered with sedge
drainage and steam power have turned sedgy marshes into farm and meadow—
J. R. Green
J. R. GreenExamples of sedge in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Lauren David, Southern Living, 4 June 2026
Plant the Base Start with the grass—a layer of living green mulch—choosing sedge or a bunch-type grass and spacing plants 12 inches apart.
—Teresa Woodard, Midwest Living, 3 May 2026
Plant sedges close together to take advantage of their ground-covering ability.
—Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 30 Apr. 2026
Plants will be in pint and quart sizes with 20 native grasses/sedges, three native ferns, and 116 native perennial species.
—Elaine Rewolinski, jsonline.com, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sedge
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
There are over 2,000 species of sedges (Carex) and many thrive in the shade.
—Lauren David, Southern Living, 4 June 2026
Plant the Base Start with the grass—a layer of living green mulch—choosing sedge or a bunch-type grass and spacing plants 12 inches apart.
—Teresa Woodard, Midwest Living, 3 May 2026
Plant sedges close together to take advantage of their ground-covering ability.
—Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 30 Apr. 2026
Plants will be in pint and quart sizes with 20 native grasses/sedges, three native ferns, and 116 native perennial species.
—Elaine Rewolinski, jsonline.com, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sedge
Cite this Entry
“Sedge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sedge. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sedge
noun
: any of a family of plants of marshy areas that are related to the grasses and have solid often three-sided stems
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
