How to Use wean in a Sentence

wean

verb
Definition of weannext
  • Shock — or the desire to shock — is hard to wean off of.
    — Andy O'Connor, SPIN, 13 Jan. 2023
  • As the West tries to quit all things Russian, oil seems to be the hardest thing to wean itself off of.
    — Sophie Mellor, Fortune, 3 Mar. 2022
  • Bat colonies then must remain untouched until the pups are weaned and able to fly in the fall.
    — Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 27 June 2023
  • Pups of all ages, from newborns to the fully weaned, lay dead or dying at the high-tide line.
    — Emily Anthes, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2024
  • Hammes said the IQAir report is even more reason for the world to wean off fossil fuel.
    — Rachel Ramirez, CNN, 22 Mar. 2022
  • Most babies are weaned from their moms within four months.
    — Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 29 Mar. 2024
  • That may help explain why it’s been hard thus far for the state to wean itself off of natural gas.
    — Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Aug. 2023
  • But, despite its name, what the bill does to wean the U.S. off of carbon is much more important.
    — Eamon Barrett, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2022
  • The new dose controlled his blood glucose well, and so our new goal was to wean him fully off of insulin.
    — Ricardo Nuila, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2023
  • That is meant to help wean the country from fossil fuels.
    — Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 2 Feb. 2023
  • Taylor Swift fans are the demographic that all the big hotel groups want to wean off Airbnb.
    — Sarah Turner, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
  • The West is choking Russia with sanctions and vowing to wean itself from its oil and gas.
    — Ken Silverstein, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2022
  • But the tools existed to wean them out, and the balance of good versus bad tended to tip toward the former.
    — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2023
  • Baby opossums will stay with the mom until they are weaned after about four months.
    — Helena Wegner, Sacramento Bee, 29 Mar. 2024
  • To wean yourself off of soft drinks, said Dr. Jhin, start watering them down, which will cut down on the sugar and calories.
    — Anne Harding, Health, 9 Feb. 2024
  • The European Union began the process of weaning itself off Russian oil and gas.
    — Emily Rauhala, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024
  • And most of Europe managed to wean itself off Russian gas.
    — Constant Méheut, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024
  • Despite this full-court press by the West, the real test will be whether Europe can wean itself off Russian gas.
    — Alexander Smith, NBC News, 6 Apr. 2022
  • There may be some folks who can wean themselves off these medications, but many will need to stay on at least a low dose.
    — Women's Health, 31 Jan. 2023
  • There’s no magic formula for how long to be on both; try weaning off after a week.
    — Erica Sweeney, Men's Health, 23 Feb. 2023
  • He was determined to quit his dependence on them or — with the same result — to wean the wealthy off their reliance on him.
    — Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2023
  • Scott says this is not the case, saying that the company lowers patients’ doses after a few months to try to wean them off.
    — Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2022
  • Hawaiian monk seals nurse for about a month before their mothers wean them, leaving them to fend for themselves.
    — Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 8 June 2023
  • People buy it to get high, to relieve pain and depression, or to help wean themselves from other drugs.
    — Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2024
  • Eventually, the 15 puppies were weaned off their mom and got adopted.
    — Simone Jasper, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024
  • Now, many feel that the country has the experience to wean itself off the corporate giant.
    — John Eligon Joao Silva, New York Times, 29 June 2023
  • The yoga instructor has also been open about the ups and downs of her breastfeeding and weaning journey.
    — Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 10 Aug. 2023
  • What did this new study show about the benefits of a gradual approach for people to wean themselves off drugs?
    — USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2024
  • But the 27-year-old began to wean herself off the pop star following her ascent to supernova fame with the release of Midnights.
    — Emma Madden, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2024
  • The elephants were gradually weaned off the goat milk and human contact sharply limited.
    — Rael Ombuor, Washington Post, 28 June 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wean.' 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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