Meaning & use
seaweed
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
A plant-like organism that grows in the sea, often seen on beaches or eaten as food.
Grammar: Uncountable in general use: 'some seaweed', not 'a seaweed'. Countable only when talking about types: 'many seaweeds'.
Patterns
- seaweed + verb
- adjective + seaweed
- eat seaweed
- seaweed in something
Seaweed covered the rocks at low tide.
She added dried seaweed to the soup for flavor.
The beach was littered with smelly seaweed after the storm.
nouncountabletechnical
A particular type or species of these sea plants.
Grammar: Countable when referring to kinds: 'a red seaweed', 'several seaweeds'.
Patterns
- a + adjective + seaweed
- species of seaweed
This red seaweed is common in warm waters.
Researchers identified three new seaweeds near the reef.
Word forms
| plural (types) | seaweeds |
|---|
Common combinations
- dried seaweed
- Dried seaweed is a popular snack in many countries.
- seaweed salad
- We ordered a fresh seaweed salad with sesame seeds.
- seaweed extract
- The cream contains seaweed extract for extra moisture.
- a bed of seaweed
- Fish hide among the beds of seaweed near the shore.
- harvest seaweed
- Local farmers harvest seaweed along the coast each spring.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- seaweed noun
- Used before another noun, as in 'seaweed farm'.
Commonly confused: seaweed or seagrass?
seaweed vs seagrass
Seagrass is a true flowering plant that grows underwater, while seaweed is algae-like and often washes ashore.
Practice
Which sentence uses seaweed correctly?
Choose one answer.
Seaweed is uncountable in general use, so it takes a singular verb and no article or number. 'A seaweed' and 'two seaweeds' are only possible when talking about types, and 'are' wrongly treats it as plural.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “seaweed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.