reed

reed — noun

1. a tall grass-like plant whose tubular, empty core is a familiar sight along rive

1.nounB1
Definition

a tall grass-like plant whose tubular, empty core is a familiar sight along riverbanks and marshy ground — people once used these stems to cover roofs, weave baskets, or make writing pens.

Example

The children played hide-and-seek among the tall reeds by the lake.

collocation: tall reeds / reeds by the lake

Baraka cut some reeds from the riverbank to repair the damaged roof.

Common collocations
  • tall reeds
  • reeds by the lake
  • a bed of reeds
  • reeds growing along the riverbank
  • dried reeds
  • cut reeds
Synonyms
  • cattail

    a different type of wetland plant with a brown, sausage-shaped flower head

  • bulrush

    a tall wetland plant similar to reeds; more common in British English

Grammar Patterns

a reed / reeds

Usage Note

The stem of a reed plant is hollow and lightweight. This sense is the original meaning from which all other senses of 'reed' developed.

Common Mistakes

The bird hid among the reed.
The bird hid among the reeds.
When referring to a group of these plants, the plural form 'reeds' is typically used.

2. a narrow sliver of split cane, synthetic material, or metal that sits on the mou

2.nounB1
Definition

a narrow sliver of split cane, synthetic material, or metal that sits on the mouthpiece of woodwind instruments — blowing air past it makes the reed vibrate, which gives the instrument its characteristic tone.

Example

Nila bought a box of new reeds for her clarinet before the concert.

collocation: new reeds / reeds for [instrument]

The oboe player soaked her reed in water for a few minutes to soften it.

Common collocations
  • new reed
  • broken reed
  • soak a reed
  • replace a reed
  • double reed
  • single reed
  • cane reed

Grammar Patterns

a reed

Usage Note

Single-reed instruments (e.g. clarinet, saxophone) have one reed attached to the mouthpiece; double-reed instruments (e.g. oboe, bassoon) have two reeds tied together that vibrate against each other.

3. any woodwind instrument whose sound comes from a thin vibrating strip of materia

3.nounB2
Definition

any woodwind instrument whose sound comes from a thin vibrating strip of material at its mouthpiece — in music shops and orchestras, people often call these instruments 'reeds' for short.

Example

The reeds in the school orchestra tuned their instruments before the rehearsal.

collective: the reeds = reed players/instruments

Otis played both single reeds and double reeds in the jazz band.

Common collocations
  • the reeds section
  • play the reeds
  • single reeds
  • double reeds
Synonyms
  • woodwind

    a broader category that includes reed instruments as well as flutes

Grammar Patterns

the reeds (section)

Usage Note

This sense is most commonly used in the plural ('the reeds') to refer collectively to all reed instruments in an orchestra or band, or to the musicians who play them.

Idioms

John Reed

idiom

John Reed (1887–1920) was an American journalist, poet, and Communist activist best known for his first-hand account of the Russian Revolution in the book 'Ten Days That Shook the World'.

John Reed's reporting from Petrograd remains a landmark of revolutionary journalism.

Stanley Forman Reed

idiom

Stanley Forman Reed (1884–1980) served as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1938 to 1957.

Justice Stanley Forman Reed wrote several influential opinions on constitutional law.

Thomas Brackett Reed

idiom

Thomas Brackett Reed (1839–1902) was a prominent American politician who served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.

Speaker Thomas Brackett Reed transformed the rules of the House of Representatives.

Walter Reed

idiom

Walter Reed (1851–1902) was an American army surgeon who led the team that proved yellow fever is spread by mosquitoes, not by direct contact.

Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. was named after the surgeon.

reed — verb

Word family

  • reedy
    adjectiveC1
  • reediness
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four words all refer to wetland plants but differ in specific features. 'Reed' is the broadest term for tall, hollow-stemmed grasses that grow near water. 'Cattail' (also called bulrush in some regions) has a distinctive brown, cigar-shaped flower head and flat leaves. 'Bulrush' in British English usually means the same as cattail, but in American English it can also refer to club-rush species with round stems. 'Sedge' belongs to a different plant family (Cyperaceae) and typically has solid triangular stems rather than hollow round ones. For example: The reeds rustled in the wind as we walked past the cattails with their velvety brown tops. Sedges lined the ditch, their sharp-edged leaves easy to recognise.

reed ↗cattailbulrushsedge

Common collocations

Nouns

  • reed bed
  • reed stem
  • reed instrument
  • reed pipe
  • reed player
  • reed section

Phrases

  • a broken reed
  • leaning on a reed

Prepositions

  • reed by the lake / river / pond
  • bed of reeds
  • roof of reeds

Etymology

Proto-GermanicProto-West GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'reed' comes from Old English 'hrēod', which goes back to Proto-West Germanic '*hreud' and further to Proto-Germanic '*hreudą'. It is related to Dutch 'riet' and German 'Ried' (meaning a marshy or reedy area). The musical-instrument sense appeared in English as early as the 1300s, since the first reed instruments used actual hollow reed stems for the vibrating part. The verb sense 'to fit with a reed' developed much later, in the 1800s, alongside the industrial production of wind instruments.