Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

tumbleweed

/ˈtʌmbəlˌwid/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.54 in modern English

Syllables: tum-ble-weed
IPA: /ˈtʌmbəlˌwid/

18

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

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.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

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.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A tan colour, like that of a tumbleweed.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"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."
"“Why do families argue?” may only induce the tumbleweed response. (Could you answer that question out of the blue?)"

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *tūmōną Proto-West Germanic *tumbōn Old English tumbiander. Middle English tumben Middle English tumblen English tumble Proto-West Germanic *weud Old English wēod Middle English weed English weed English tumbleweed From tumble + weed.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈtʌmbəlˌwid/
British English: /ˈtʌmbəlwiːd/

Usage

Inflected Forms

tumbleweeds (plural)

Phrases

monster tumbleweed Palestinian tumbleweed Russian tumbleweed tumbleweed moment tumble thistle

Frequently Paired Words

tumble thistle

Synonyms

roly-poly steppe-witch wind-witch amaranthus albus amaranthus graecizans winged pigweed cycloloma atriplicifolium russian thistle russian tumbleweed russian cactus salsola kali tenuifolia

Rhymes With

need read lead speed agreed spread indeed port said feed we'd seed succeed

Questions

How do you pronounce tumbleweed?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈtʌmbəlˌwid/.
What does tumbleweed mean?: 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.
Where does tumbleweed come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *tūmōną Proto-West Germanic *tumbōn Old English tumbiander. Middle English tumben Middle English tumblen English tumble Proto-West Germanic *weud Old English wēod Middle English weed English weed English tumbleweed From tumble + weed.

How to pronounce tumbleweed

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “tumbleweed”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈtʌmbəlˌwid/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “tumbleweed” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.