TUMBLEWEED Definition & Meaning

tumbleweed

[tuhm-buhl-weed]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

any of various plants, as Amaranthus albus, A. graecizans, or the Russian thistle, Salsola kali, whose branching upper parts become detached from the roots and are driven about by the wind.

tumbleweed

/ ˈ��ʌ��ə��ˌ�ɾ�ː�� /

noun

any densely branched plant that breaks off near the ground on withering and is rolled about by the wind, esp one of several amaranths of the western US and Australia

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of tumbleweed¹

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; tumble + weed ¹

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

But a rival campaigner now calls them the "tumbleweed Tories", claiming they're nowhere to be seen on the ground.

From

"We came through the airport and it was like tumbleweed," McIntosh says.

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Rust depicts the manhunt for grandfather and grandson amidst a backdrop of snow-capped mountains and tumbleweed dirt towns.

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On the ground, amid the sagebrush and tumbleweeds, are a few old barracks, a weathered wooden fence strung with barbed wire and a wind-battered guard tower.

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She waves her hand, and Cocoa rolls away like a tumbleweed.

From

tumble to tumbling

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