wreathe

verb

ˈrēt͟h 

wreathed; wreathing

transitive verb

1

a

: to shape into a wreath

b

: interweave

c

: to cause to coil about something

2

: to twist or contort so as to show folds or creases

3

: to encircle or adorn with or as if with a wreath

intransitive verb

1

: to twist in coils : writhe

2

a

: to take on the shape of a wreath

b

: to move or extend in circles or spirals

Synonyms

• enlace
• entwine
• implicate [archaic]
• interlace
• intertwine
• intertwist
• interweave
• inweave
• lace
• ply
• twist
• weave
• writhe

Examples of wreathe in a Sentence

decided to wreathe the grapevines into a beribboned swag to give the room the “country look”

wreathed small flowers into the design for the wallpaper

Recent Examples on the Web

Air Traffic Control had cleared both planes, despite the airport being wreathed in fog. —Julia Buckley, CNN, 16 Mar. 2023

The deal itself was wreathed in controversy. —Rory Smith, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2023

And if either of them ever forgets, the words are always with them, in colorful tattoos that wreathe their arms in foreign languages. —Debra Kamin, WSJ, 23 Feb. 2022

Many likely formed alongside their parent bodies, sprouting out of the swirling disk of gas and dust that wreathes planets in their infancy. —Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Mar. 2020

Word History

Etymology

wreath

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

wreathe

verb

ˈrēt͟h 

wreathed; wreathing

1

: to form into a wreath

2

: to crown, decorate, or cover with or as if with a wreath

ivy wreathed the pole