: any of a genus (Typha of the family Typhaceae, the cattail family) of tall reedy marsh plants with brown furry fruiting spikes
especially
: a plant (Typha latifolia) with long flat leaves used especially for making mats and chair seats
Examples of cattail in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As with grass, only offer roots from plants that have not been treated with fertilizers or pesticides.
Milkweed Fibers and Cattail Fluff: American goldfinch, Baltimore orioles, and Eastern kingbirds will line their nests with milkweed silk and cattail fluff.
—
Anne Readel, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Mar. 2025
Ponda spoke with a person from upstate New York who can confer acreage for growing cattails that can rewet the land, draw down carbon and offer an alternative to conventional polyfill.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
The man dragged the lifeless woman to a tree surrounded by high cattails and covered her in a quilt.
—Lizz Schumer, People.com, 29 Dec. 2024
Ingredients include wild game like boar, pheasant, and venison, plus foraged botanicals such as pine, cattail, and Saskatoon berries.
—Nicholas Derenzo, AFAR Media, 27 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cattail
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.
Anne Readel, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Mar. 2025
Ponda spoke with a person from upstate New York who can confer acreage for growing cattails that can rewet the land, draw down carbon and offer an alternative to conventional polyfill.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
The man dragged the lifeless woman to a tree surrounded by high cattails and covered her in a quilt.
—Lizz Schumer, People.com, 29 Dec. 2024
Ingredients include wild game like boar, pheasant, and venison, plus foraged botanicals such as pine, cattail, and Saskatoon berries.
—Nicholas Derenzo, AFAR Media, 27 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cattail
Cite this Entry
“Cattail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cattail. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cattail
noun
cat·tail
ˈkat-ˌtāl 
: a tall marsh plant that bears very tiny flowers and fruit in brown furry spikes at the end of long stalks
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share