Illustration of milkweed
milkweed
noun
milk·weed
ˈmilk-ˌwēd 
: any of various plants that secrete latex
especially
: any of a genus (Asclepias of the family Asclepiadaceae, the milkweed family) of erect chiefly perennial herbs with milky juice and umbellate flowers
Examples of milkweed in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Residents in those states looking to help native pollinators can join their local Bumble Bee Atlas chapter or fill their gardens with native flowers such as thistles, milkweed, sunflowers and rabbitbrush to provide more food to these busy bees.
—
Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 June 2024
The milkweeds their larvae need to grow have been disappearing, because of the use of herbicides.
—Siddhant Pusdekar, Journal Sentinel, 21 June 2024
Milkweed: Ingestion of milkweed can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures and respiratory paralysis due to toxic glycosides, specifically cardenolides.
—Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 5 June 2024
Attention Tennesseans: The Tennessee Department of Transportation is giving away 350,000 packets of milkweed seeds to help monarch butterflies thrive in the Volunteer State.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 21 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for milkweed 
Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 June 2024
The milkweeds their larvae need to grow have been disappearing, because of the use of herbicides.
—Siddhant Pusdekar, Journal Sentinel, 21 June 2024
Milkweed: Ingestion of milkweed can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures and respiratory paralysis due to toxic glycosides, specifically cardenolides.
—Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 5 June 2024
Attention Tennesseans: The Tennessee Department of Transportation is giving away 350,000 packets of milkweed seeds to help monarch butterflies thrive in the Volunteer State.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 21 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for milkweed
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'milkweed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Milkweed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/milkweed. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
milkweed
noun
milk·weed
ˈmil-ˌkwēd
: any of various herbs with milky juice and flowers usually in dense clusters
Medical Definition
milkweed
noun
milk·weed
ˈmilk-ˌwēd
: any of various plants that secrete latex
especially
: any plant of the genus Asclepias (family Asclepiadaceae, the milkweed family) including several whose dried roots were formerly used medicinally
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