26984 words

tumbleweed

2 definitions • 6 examples
1
a North American and Australian plant that breaks away from its roots near the ground when it dies, and forms large balls that are rolled around by the wind, or the balls that are formed in this way:

Examples:

On the edge of town, tumbleweed rolled past the skeletons of abandoned cars.
The dead tumbleweed breaks off at the stem and, as it tumbles, it sheds thousands of seeds.
On a windy day, litter blows across the parking lot like tumbleweed.
They are now selling the property, where tumbleweeds blow across the courtyard like in some Wild West movie.
2
an uncomfortable silence when no one is answering a question or taking part in a conversation, often shown by typing the word "tumbleweed" into an online discussion :

Examples:

Someone responded with a tumbleweed because I didn't respond within half an hour.
tumbleweed moment Did you ever experience a tumbleweed moment when absolutely no one reacted to something you said?

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