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
Taking longer to wean or adjusting your weaning timetable can sometimes be the best choice for your family.4
A Quick Review
Many people find weaning from breastfeeding challenging.
—Wendy Wisner, Health, 13 Apr. 2025
They were weaned at eight weeks and have been living the lives of healthy young dire wolves since then.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 7 Apr. 2025
The event comes on the heels of recent rumors that Microsoft is in the works to produce in-house artificial intelligence models, including reasoning models like OpenAI’s o1 which the company incorporated into its Copilot products earlier this year, in an effort to wean off its reliance on OpenAI.
—Ece Yildirim, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2025
All baby teeth should be present by seven weeks old, and they are typically fully weaned by this time as well.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wean
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Wendy Wisner, Health, 13 Apr. 2025
They were weaned at eight weeks and have been living the lives of healthy young dire wolves since then.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 7 Apr. 2025
The event comes on the heels of recent rumors that Microsoft is in the works to produce in-house artificial intelligence models, including reasoning models like OpenAI’s o1 which the company incorporated into its Copilot products earlier this year, in an effort to wean off its reliance on OpenAI.
—Ece Yildirim, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2025
All baby teeth should be present by seven weeks old, and they are typically fully weaned by this time as well.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 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 22 Apr. 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
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