tumbleweed

noun

tum·​ble·​weed ˈtəm-bəl-ˌwēd How to pronounce tumbleweed (audio)
: 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
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.
And yet, compared to years past, it’s felt like tumbleweeds. Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2025 The average furball rolling around your house like a tumbleweed is an easy pickup that’s a quick and easy job for a handheld or stick vacuum. Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 17 July 2025 The Roadrunner is built to be launched out of its own packing crate; before the test flight, the engineers placed one of those crates in the scrub, as tumbleweeds skittered by. Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 July 2025 Pele’s hair is strands of volcanic glass that can cluster together and look like tumbleweeds. Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 27 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for tumbleweed

Word History

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tumbleweed was in 1858

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Cite this Entry

“Tumbleweed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tumbleweed. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

tumbleweed

noun
tum·​ble·​weed ˈtəm-bəl-ˌwēd How to pronounce tumbleweed (audio)
: a plant that breaks away from its roots in autumn and is blown about by the wind

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