wean

verb

weaned; weaning; weans

transitive verb

1
: to accustom (a young child or animal) to take food otherwise than by nursing
2
: to detach from a source of dependence
being weaned off the medication
wean the bears from human foodSports Illus.
also : to free from a usually unwholesome habit or interest
wean him off his excessive drinking
settling his soldiers on the land …  , weaning them from habits of violence Geoffrey Carnall
3
: to accustom to something from an early age
used in the passive especially with on
students weaned on the Internet for research
I was weaned on greasepaintHelen Hayes
the principles upon which he had been weanedJ. A. Michener

Examples of wean in a Sentence

The calves are weaned at an early age.
Recent Examples on the Web Amgen wants experimental obesity drug to be tapered Amgen wants to create an obesity drug that patients can wean over time instead of being taken at the same dose in perpetuity. Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 5 Feb. 2024 Researchers started analyzing this chemical record in the 1980s, gaining clues about how baby mammoths weaned from their mothers and how their diet changed with the seasons. Carl Zimmer, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2024 What did this new study show about the benefits of a gradual approach for people to wean themselves off drugs? USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2024 Zoo officials say the baby likely will stay close to its mother until it is weaned at around 1 year old. Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Nov. 2023 Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's decision comes as the kingdom is trying to build a series of megaprojects and invest in sports and other fields aggressively abroad to wean the country off of relying solely on oil. Jon Gambrell, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024 As a baby’s nervous system matures, parents should be able to wean their baby off an anti-colic bottle. Laura Lu, Ms, Parents, 19 Feb. 2024 Taylor Swift fans are the demographic that all the big hotel groups want to wean off Airbnb. Sarah Turner, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 To wean yourself off of soft drinks, said Dr. Jhin, start watering them down, which will cut down on the sugar and calories. Anne Harding, Health, 9 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wean.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English wenen, from Old English wenian to accustom, wean; akin to Old English wunian to be used to — more at wont

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wean was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near wean

Cite this Entry

“Wean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wean. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wean

verb
1
: to get a child or young animal used to food other than its mother's milk
2
: to turn (one) away from something long desired or followed
wean a person from a bad habit

Medical Definition

wean

transitive verb
1
: to accustom (as an infant or young child) to take food otherwise than by nursing
2
: to detach usually gradually from a cause of dependence or form of treatment

More from Merriam-Webster on wean

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