plant

1 of 2

verb

ˈplant How to pronounce plant (audio)
planted; planting; plants
Synonyms of plantnext

transitive verb

1
a
: to put or set in the ground for growth
plant seeds
b
: to set or sow with seeds or plants
c
: implant
2
a
: establish, institute
b
: colonize, settle
c
: to place (animals) in a new locality
d
: to stock with animals
3
a
: to place in or on the ground
b
: to place firmly or forcibly
planted a hard blow on his chin
4
a
: conceal
b
: to covertly place for discovery, publication, or dissemination

intransitive verb

: to plant something
plantable
ˈplan-tə-bəl How to pronounce plant (audio)
adjective

plant

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: a young tree, vine, shrub, or herb planted or suitable for planting
b
: any of a kingdom (Plantae) of multicellular eukaryotic mostly photosynthetic organisms typically lacking locomotive movement or obvious nervous or sensory organs and possessing cellulose cell walls
2
a
: the land, buildings, machinery, apparatus, and fixtures employed in carrying on a trade or an industrial business
b
: a factory or workshop for the manufacture of a particular product
also : power plant
c
: the total facilities available for production or service
d
: the buildings and other physical equipment of an institution
3
: an act of planting
4
: something or someone planted
plantlike
ˈplant-ˌlīk How to pronounce plant (audio)
adjective

Synonyms

Verb

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of plant in a Sentence

Verb I planted corn this year. I planted the border with roses. a field planted with corn
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.
Verb
Knowing when to plant in specific hardiness zones is important to maximize the spring season's potential. — Jj Hensley, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2025 Restoring Koala Habitats As part of a Wild Australia Expedition, NPE ensures that a portion of each trip supports the Koala Clancy Foundation, an initiative working to plant 300,000 trees by 2030 to restore koala habitats on private lands. — Roger Sands, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Noun
Wildflowers are plants that happily grow on their own in the wild without human help. — Renee Freemon Mulvihill, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Mar. 2025 The plant has been repeatedly disconnected from Ukraine's power grid due to attacks on the country's energy infrastructure. — Jesus Mesa, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for plant

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English plantian, from Late Latin plantare to plant, fix in place, from Latin, to plant, from planta plant

Noun

Middle English plante, from Old English, from Latin planta

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of plant was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing plant

Rhymes for plant

See All Rhymes for plant

Browse Nearby Words

plant
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Plant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plant. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

plant

1 of 2 verb
ˈplant How to pronounce plant (audio)
1
a
: to put or set in the ground to grow
plant seeds
b
: to set permanently in the consciousness of : implant
plant good habits
2
a
: to cause to become established
plant colonies
b
: to stock or provide with something usually to grow or increase
plant fields to corn
plant a stream with trout
3
a
: to place or fix in the ground
planted stakes to hold the vines
b
: to place firmly or forcibly
planted themselves right in our way
4
: to place or introduce so as to mislead
plant a spy

plant

2 of 2 noun
1
: any of a kingdom of mostly photosynthetic living things usually lacking the ability to move from place to place under their own power, having no obvious nervous or sensory organs, possessing cellulose cell walls, and often having a body that is able to keep growing without taking on a fixed size and shape
2
a
: the land, buildings, and equipment of an organization
the college plant
b
: a building or workshop for the manufacture of a product : factory
c
: power plant
3
: something or someone planted
left muddy footprints as a plant to confuse the police
plantlike
-ˌlīk How to pronounce plant (audio)
adjective

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