weaned; weaning; weans
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 food—
Sports Illus.
Sports 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
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 greasepaint—Helen Hayes
Helen Hayesthe principles upon which he had been weaned—J. A. Michener
J. A. MichenerExamples of wean in a Sentence
The calves are weaned at an early age.
Recent Examples on the Web
The National Institute of Drug Abuse is funding a study to investigate how best to wean people off buprenorphine who have been on it for a least a year and want to stop taking it.
—Moises Velasquez-Manoff Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Zak Mouton, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
Diriyah is the poster child for Crown Prince Muhammed bin Salman’s Saudi Vision 2030 project, which is aiming to wean the economy off oil by boosting tourism, culture, and the private sector.
—George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 10 Feb. 2025
The Trump Administration has long pledged to reverse Democratic policies that seek to wean the U.S. power grid off of coal, and Hamilton is anticipating that this will lead to job growth in the industry.
—Alana Semuels, TIME, 7 Feb. 2025
That expanded on the 1935 Banking Act, which weaned the Fed away from the Treasury Department to minimize partisan influence and established the Fed’s policymaking committee in its current form.
—Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wean
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.
Moises Velasquez-Manoff Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Zak Mouton, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
Diriyah is the poster child for Crown Prince Muhammed bin Salman’s Saudi Vision 2030 project, which is aiming to wean the economy off oil by boosting tourism, culture, and the private sector.
—George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 10 Feb. 2025
The Trump Administration has long pledged to reverse Democratic policies that seek to wean the U.S. power grid off of coal, and Hamilton is anticipating that this will lead to job growth in the industry.
—Alana Semuels, TIME, 7 Feb. 2025
That expanded on the 1935 Banking Act, which weaned the Fed away from the Treasury Department to minimize partisan influence and established the Fed’s policymaking committee in its current form.
—Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wean
Cite this Entry
“Wean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wean. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wean
verb1
: 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 verb1
: 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share