plant

AUSPLANT/plænt/UKPLAHNT/plɑːnt/

Pluralplants

Verbplants, planting, planted

20 meanings of plant

Practice

1
green growing thingnouncountable
A living thing like a tree, flower, or grass that grows in soil or water and usually makes food from sunlight.
Like a tiny living thing that cooks its own food using sunshine.
She watered every plant on the windowsill before leaving.
The plants in our garden need sunlight to grow.
UsagePeople often talk about plants and trees as two different things.
2
factorynouncountable
A large building where machines make things or where work is done.
Like a giant workshop where many machines build things all day.
Hundreds of people work at the steel plant in our town.
The company opened a new plant last year.
UsagePeople often say power plant or steel plant.
Similarfactory, facility, works, mill
Note
3
put in soilverbtransitive or intransitive
To put seeds or young plants into the ground so they grow, or to fill a place with plants.
Like tucking a seed into bed so it can wake up and grow.
We plant tomatoes in the garden every spring.
She planted rows of beans along the fence.
UsageYou plant seeds, or plant a garden with flowers.
Similarsow, seed
Oppositeuproot
Note
4
place secretlyverbtransitive
To secretly put something or someone somewhere, often to trick people.
Like hiding a clue on purpose so the wrong person gets blamed.
The thief planted a stolen ring in her bag.
Police accused him of trying to plant drugs on a suspect.
Similarhide, conceal, place, insert, slip
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5
equipment (industry)noununcountable
Machines and equipment used in industry or building work, especially big, heavy ones.
Like all the big diggers and machines a building site needs.
The company hired plant to dig the foundations.
All the plant on the site must be checked for safety.
UsageFor one machine, you can say a piece of plant.
Similarmachinery, equipment
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6
drive into groundverbtransitive
To put something firmly in a place, like a flag in the ground or your feet on the floor.
Like pushing a stick deep into the dirt so it stands up.
We planted a row of fence posts yesterday.
Plant the pole deep so it won't fall over.
Similarset, fix, embed
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7
put in mindverbtransitive
To introduce an idea or belief and make it take firm hold in someone's mind.
Like planting roots that hold an idea firmly in place.
That book planted a dream of travel in his mind.
Great stories plant ideas that last a lifetime.
UsageYou plant an idea in someone's mind.
Similarsow, instill, implant, seed, introduce
Note
8
including funginounnonstandardcountable
Any living thing that grows on the ground, including green plants and mushrooms.
Like one big basket that holds both flowers and mushrooms because they all grow from the ground.
Mushrooms are the only plants that grow in our dark basement.
The gardener counted each mushroom as just another plant in his patch.
Note

Less common meanings

9
nouncountable
Something left somewhere in secret to make someone look guilty.
Like a fake clue someone leaves to blame the wrong person.
The gun found in his car was a plant.
She insisted the drugs were a plant meant to ruin her.
Note
10
undercover agentnouncountable
Someone put secretly in a group or crowd to spy or to do something planned while seeming ordinary.
Like a secret agent who blends in as just a normal customer.
One of the regulars at the bar was actually a police plant.
The gang never knew there was a plant among them.
Similarmole, infiltrator
Note
11
settle colonistsverbtransitive
To fill a new area with settlers and set up a community there.
Like setting up a brand-new town where no one lived before.
The king planted a colony across the sea.
They hoped to plant a settlement near the river.
Similarestablish, settle, found, colonize
Note
12
put in officeverbtransitive
To put someone in a job or position, or to set something up in its place.
The new owners want to plant their own manager at the store.
After the king ran away, the rebels planted their own leader on the throne.
Similarinstall, place, put, position, appoint
Oppositeremove, oust
Note
13
swindlenoundatedcountable
A clever trick or secret plan made to fool or cheat someone.
It wasn’t a bad plant that of mine, on Fikey, the man accused of forging the Sou’ Westeru Railway debentures—it was only t’ other day—because the reason why? I’ll tell you.
1850, Charles Dickens, “A Detective Police Party”Here, plant means a trick or scheme to fool someone.
Similarscam, con, swindle, trick, ruse
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14
snookernouncountable
In snooker, a shot that uses one ball to knock another ball into a pocket.
Like using one marble to push a second marble into a hole.
She lined up a tricky plant to sink the far red.
A clean plant can pot two balls at once.
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15
nounobsolete
A young tree or sapling, and so also a stick or staff.
Take, Shepherd, take a Plant of ſtubborn Oak; / And labour him with many a ſturdy ſtroke: / Or with hard Stones, demoliſh from afar / His haughty Creſt, the feat of all the War.
1694, “The Third Book of Virgil's Georgicks”, in John DrydenHere, plant means a young tree used as a stick or club.
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16
nounobsolete
A hidden store of goods kept out of sight.
Note
17
street pitchnounobsoleteUK
A spot in the street where someone sets up to sell things.
Note
18
sole of footnounobsolete
The flat bottom part of the foot.
Knotty legs, and plants of clay, / Seek for eaſe, or love delay.
1611, Ben Jonson, “Oberon, the Faery Prince”Here, plants means the soles or bottoms of the feet.
Note
19
noun
A machine or system that something else controls or keeps in check, like a motor.
20
noun
An oyster grown by people in a special bed, or a young one ready to be moved there.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of plant apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

The word comes from Latin planta, meaning a shoot or cutting, and came into Old English as plante, a young plant. The verb comes from Latin plantāre, to plant.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

The noun plant derives from Latin planta, meaning a shoot or cutting. en.wiktionary.org
The word existed in Old English as plante, meaning a young plant. en.wiktionary.org
The verb plant derives from Latin plantāre. en.wiktionary.org
Latin plantāre means to plant. en.wiktionary.org