tumbleweed
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tumbleweed
- /ˈtʌmbəlwiːd/ UK
- /ˈtʌmbəlˌwid/ US
Rhymes with -iːd
noun tumbleweeds
-
Any plant which habitually breaks away from its roots once dry, forming a light, rolling mass which is driven by the wind from place to place; as Russian thistle, wild indigo, witch grass, Amaranthus albus, etc.
Similar: roly-poly, steppe-witch, wind-witch
-
One of the dried-out, seed-dispersing, globular forms of such plants.
Similar: roly-poly, steppe-witch, wind-witch
- Describing unwanted silence and inactivity. Often used of a situation when one makes a statement that is ignored or ill-received by one's audience, as the resultant silence is likened to that of a desolate desert with rolling tumbleweeds. Putting an ad in the local paper that Spock's Beard and Arena are in town will get you a tumbleweed response and some wasted revenue.
- A tan colour, like that of a dried out tumbleweed.
Translations
Every language
noun plant which breaks loose and is driven by the wind
| Español | estepicursor, estepicursora, planta rodadora |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 회전초 hoejeoncho |
| 日本語 | タンブルウィード tamburuwīdo |
| 中文 | 風滾草 /风滚草 fēnggǔncǎo, 飛蓬 /飞蓬 fēipéng |
| Português | bola de feno, salsola |
| Français | virevoltant |
| Deutsch | Steppenläufer, Bodenläufer, Steppenroller, Bodenroller |
| Italiano | rotolacampo |
| Русский | перекати́-по́ле perekatí-póle |
| العربية | حَشِيشَة مُتَدَحْرِجَة |
Talk about this word "tumbleweed." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/tumbleweed. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. tumbleweed. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/tumbleweed "tumbleweed." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/tumbleweed.Cite this
@misc{tumbleweed_2026,
title = {tumbleweed},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/tumbleweed},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
