# tumbleweed

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈtʌmbəlwiːd/ · frequency rank #50,859

## Definitions
1. Any plant which habitually breaks away from its roots once dry, forming a light, rolling mass which is driven by the wind from place to place; as Russian thistle, wild indigo, witch grass, Amaranthus albus, etc.
2. Describing unwanted silence and inactivity. Often used of a situation when one makes a statement that is ignored or ill-received by one's audience, as the resultant silence is likened to that of a desolate desert with rolling tumbleweeds.
3. A tan colour, like that of a tumbleweed.

## Etymology
From tumble + weed.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/tumbleweed