verb
wean
WEEN
verb
1
To gradually stop a baby or young animal from feeding on milk, switching it to other food.
"They began to wean the baby onto solid food at six months."
2
To gradually break a habit or dependence.
"The company is trying to wean itself off fossil fuels."
How to Use Wean
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo stop a baby feeding on milk and move it to solid food, or more generally to gradually break any dependence.
Common pairings
wean off
wean a baby
wean someone from
Word Forms
weaned past tense, weans plural, weans singular
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They began to _____ the baby onto solid food at six months.
Etymology
From Old English wenian ("to accustom, train"), related to the word "wont."