Weave Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary (original) (raw)

Britannica Dictionary definition of WEAVE

1

◊ Wove is the usual past tense and woven the usual past participle for senses 1, 2, and 4. Weaved is the usual past tense and past participle for sense 3.

:

to make something (such as cloth) by crossing threads or other long pieces of material over and under each other

[+ object]

• She weaves cloth on her loom.
• He wove a basket (from the branches). = He wove the branches into a basket.

[no object]

• She spins and weaves.

2

[+ object]

:

to create something (such as a story) by combining different things in usually a complicated way

• The author has woven an exciting tale of adventure and romance.
• She wove episodes from many sources into a single narrative.

— often + together

• The musicians wove together a beautiful and complex melody.
• The story weaves together [=_combines_] the past and present in surprising ways.

3

:

to move from side to side while going forward especially in order to avoid the people or things that are in front of you

[no object]

• The car was weaving in and out of traffic.
• She weaved through the defenders and scored a goal.

[+ object]

• He weaved his way through the crowd.

4

[+ object]

of a spider

:

to create (a web)

:

spin

• a spider weaving its web

— weaver

/ˈwiːvɚ/

noun,

plural

weavers

[count]

• a basket weaver
• a weaver of blankets
• a weaver of tales

Britannica Dictionary definition of WEAVE

[count]

:

a pattern in a woven cloth

:

a particular way of weaving cloth

• a twill/plain weave
• an open weave