Meaning & use

wreath

noun·Advanced

Last updated

UK/riːθ/
US/riːθ/

Meaning

  1. nouncountable

    A circular arrangement of flowers, leaves, or other material, used as a decoration or tribute.

    Grammar: Countable noun: a wreath, two wreaths.

    Patterns

    • a wreath of something
    • lay a wreath
    • hang a wreath

    She hung a wreath of holly on the front door.

    The president laid a wreath at the memorial.

    They made a wreath from dried flowers.

Word forms

pluralwreaths

Common combinations

Christmas wreath
We bought a Christmas wreath for the fireplace.
laurel wreath
The victor was crowned with a laurel wreath.
funeral wreath
They sent a funeral wreath to the family.
lay a wreath
The soldiers laid a wreath at the tomb.

Synonyms and how they differ

garland
A garland is a long rope of flowers worn around the neck or hung as a decoration, not necessarily circular like a wreath.
chaplet
A chaplet is a small wreath worn on the head, often in religious or poetic contexts; less common than 'wreath'.

Word family

wreathe verb
To surround or decorate with wreaths or as if with wreaths.

Commonly confused: wreath or wreath?

wreath vs wreath

Not to be confused with 'wreathe' (verb), which has a different spelling and meaning. Also, 'wreath' is pronounced /riːθ/, while 'wreathe' is /riːð/.

Practice

They placed a ______ of flowers on the grave.

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