horseweed

noun

horse·​weed ˈhȯrs-ˌwēd How to pronounce horseweed (audio)
1
: a common annual American composite herb (Conyza canadensis synonym Erigeron canadensis) with an erect usually hairy stem and small discoid heads of yellow disk flowers
2
: a coarse annual North American ragweed (Ambrosia trifida)

Examples of horseweed 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.
Other native plant enemies include sow thistle; dandelions, which spread clouds of seeds once their cheerful yellow flowers dry up; tall bulky horseweed; round-leaved cheeseweed; purslane; and spurge, which blanket the ground like thick green doilies. Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2022 But after glyphosate-resistant crops had a few years to grow, farmers began to notice horseweed and morning glory and other weeds encroaching once more into their fields. Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 4 May 2010 Some examples are sharp point fluvellin, velvetleaf, puncturevine, horseweed, western bittercress and oxalis. OregonLive.com, 27 Feb. 2018 Yet tolerance to 2,4-D has already been documented in several weed species that have elsewhere become glyphosate-resistant superweeds, including waterhemp and horseweed. Brandon Keim, WIRED, 24 June 2014

Word History

First Known Use

1790, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of horseweed was in 1790

Dictionary Entries Near horseweed

Cite this Entry

“Horseweed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horseweed. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.

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