How to Use reed in a Sentence

reed

1 of 2 noun
  • And then long black reeds of hair came loose in their quick hands.
    — Safiya Sinclair, The New Yorker, 31 July 2023
  • Ensure the reeds are spread out.
    — Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Nov. 2025
  • Along its banks a frothy white scum pushes against the reeds.
    — New York Times, 3 Mar. 2020
  • The light filters through the streets like a stream through reeds.
    — Anne Farrar, National Geographic, 18 June 2019
  • Payne shared the story of the huge oak tree and the small reed.
    — Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 1 June 2021
  • This pick has dried flowers mixed in with the reeds for a cozy look.
    — Brittney Morgan, Travel + Leisure, 25 Aug. 2025
  • Arnold, a reed-thin 62-year-old, calls them all by name.
    — Dave Altimari, Hartford Courant, 11 Aug. 2025
  • The white men placed Bethea’s body in a reed basket.
    — Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Plus, reed diffusers can also make great decor.
    — Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Nov. 2025
  • To inscribe the shards, users dipped a reed or hollow stick in ink.
    — Jane Recker, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Feb. 2022
  • Diaphragm calls consist of three main parts–the frame, a reed, and tape.
    — Nancy Jo Adams, Popular Mechanics, 5 May 2023
  • Built of logs, planks, reeds and thatching, the cabins were a work of art.
    — Anne Z. Cooke, chicagotribune.com, 10 Oct. 2019
  • The taller reed grass there is a dangerous fuel.
    — Alan Gionet, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026
  • These reed diffusers get the job done, look calming and are eco-friendly.
    — NBC News, 14 Jan. 2020
  • At one point, the oboist is asked to put a second reed in his mouth and play a raucous self-duet.
    — Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023
  • Having a reed break in the middle of a session is a buzzkill.
    — Parker Hall, Wired, 21 June 2020
  • The iron girders of a water tower were reeds bending in the wind.
    — Charles Pellegrino, Rolling Stone, 6 Aug. 2025
  • She was apparently found in reeds but in full view from a pathway.
    — Karla Adam, Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2023
  • Blood is as much a part of this landscape as the honeysuckle reeds.
    — Keith Sharon, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026
  • Tule reeds that grows in the yard in preparation of basket weaving.
    — Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
  • Indeed, most of our contributors found some thin reed on which to hang some hope.
    — Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 1 Dec. 2022
  • Winn steered his kayak behind the tall reeds a year ago this month and waited, perfectly still.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 26 Sep. 2019
  • Graziose kept a photo of the quartet in which Griffin looks reed-thin and sports bangs.
    — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
  • This stylish reed diffuser emits a calming lavender scent for at least three months straight with no flames in sight.
    — Cailey Lindberg, Good Housekeeping, 13 Oct. 2022
  • Elk callers use a diaphragm reed along with a bugle tube to replicate the noises.
    — oregonlive, 15 Sep. 2022
  • Rods and lures safely stowed, the paddling anglers head past the swampy banks and cast their lines through the reeds and lily pads.
    — Wesley Bruer, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
  • For the rest of the year, the only sign of life is the odd patch of bright green reeds, fed by underground water.
    — Mary Holland, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Nov. 2018
  • Tall, dense invasive common reeds were then able to move in and stifle native plants.
    — Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
  • Xu suggests placing your reed diffusers on a tray or coaster to avoid this scenario.
    — Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Nov. 2025
  • But that’s a thin reed on which to base a multibillion-dollar estimate.
    — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov. 2022

reed

2 of 2 verb
  • Papyrus reeds from the Nile delta were the paper of the ancient world.
    — Vanessa Taylor, Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Phragmites reeds lined the water, and the American Dream mall loomed over the far bank.
    — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 16 June 2026
  • And partitions are being installed in the orchestra pit to try to contain any aerosols emitted by reed and brass instruments.
    — Michael Paulson, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2021
  • The key to blowing a short-reed Canada or specklebelly call is moving a continuous amount of air through the call.
    — Joe Genzel, Outdoor Life, 26 June 2020
  • Instead, the Romans’ post-bath ritual involved anointing the body with oils and scraping excess grease away with a metal or reed tool known as a strigil.
    — Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Aug. 2020
  • Although most objects in this show include calligraphy, there's also a silver 19th-century pen box, studded with coins and beads, used to store reed pens.
    — Alicia Eler, Star Tribune, 5 Nov. 2020
  • Lisa starts berating Chris, who appears on the verge of passing out from the one-two punch of wearing a three-piece suit under hot lights and huffing that box-fresh vanilla reed diffuser straight from the source.
    — Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2021
  • After tittering over the album cover — which features the musician in silhouette, reed clenched between his teeth — Fallon shared a selection from the record, wincing all the while.
    — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2021
  • Kristen Pumphrey and Thomas Neuberger’s home fragrance company offers vegan soy candles, reed diffusers, incense and room sprays.
    — Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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