tumbleweed Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun any plant that breaks away from its roots in autumn and is driven by the wind as a light rolling mass
  2. noun prickly bushy Eurasian plant; a troublesome weed in central and western United States
    Russian tumbleweed; Russian thistle; Russian cactus; Salsola kali tenuifolia.
  3. noun bushy annual weed of central North America having greenish flowers and winged seeds
    winged pigweed; Cycloloma atriplicifolium.
  4. noun bushy plant of western United States
    Amaranthus albus; Amaranthus graecizans.

WordNet

Tum"ble*weed` noun
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) Any plant which habitually breaks away from its roots in the autumn, and is driven by the wind, as a light, rolling mass, over the fields and prairies; as witch grass, wild indigo, Amarantus albus, etc.

Webster 1913