Illustration of milkweed
milkweed
noun
milk·weed
ˈmilk-ˌwēd 
: any of various plants that secrete latex
especially
: any of a genus (Asclepias of the family Apocynaceae, the dogbane family) of erect chiefly perennial herbs with milky juice and umbellate flowers
Examples of milkweed in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Similarly, if native milkweed doesn’t go dormant in time to prompt monarch butterflies to migrate to overwintering sites, the monarchs may be endangered.
—
Alice Cason, Mercury News, 20 Oct. 2025
Timm also raised about 100 monarchs from eggs found on milkweed on her family's property.
—Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Fall is the best time to plant spring-flowering bulbs and native plant seeds that benefit from cold stratification, like milkweed and bee balm.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Sep. 2025
Try growing a butterfly garden by planting milkweed.
—Clarence Schmidt, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for milkweed
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Alice Cason, Mercury News, 20 Oct. 2025
Timm also raised about 100 monarchs from eggs found on milkweed on her family's property.
—Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Fall is the best time to plant spring-flowering bulbs and native plant seeds that benefit from cold stratification, like milkweed and bee balm.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Sep. 2025
Try growing a butterfly garden by planting milkweed.
—Clarence Schmidt, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for milkweed
Cite this Entry
“Milkweed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/milkweed. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
milkweed
noun
milk·weed
ˈmil-ˌkwēd
: any of various herbs with milky juice and flowers usually in dense clusters
Medical Definition
milkweed
noun
milk·weed
ˈmilk-ˌwēd
: any of various plants that secrete latex
especially
: any plant of the genus Asclepias (family Asclepiadaceae, the milkweed family) including several whose dried roots were formerly used medicinally
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share