noun
tumbleweed
TUHM-buhl-weed
noun
1
A plant that breaks off from its roots once dry and rolls across the ground in the wind, scattering its seeds.
"A tumbleweed rolled slowly across the deserted highway."
2
(informal) An awkward silence following a comment that falls flat.
"He cracked the joke, and the room answered with pure tumbleweed."
How to Use Tumbleweed
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe classic dry, rolling desert plant — or, jokingly, the awkward silence after a joke or comment nobody responds to.
Common pairings
rolling tumbleweed
awkward tumbleweed moment
Word Forms
tumbleweeds plural
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Etymology
A compound of tumble + weed, describing how the dried, ball-shaped plant tumbles across open ground driven by the wind.