tumbleweed
tumbleweed Lexical Profile
tumbleweed Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American Any of various plants (such as the Russian thistle, Kali tragus) typically found in arid regions like the American West, whose above-ground structure detaches from its root system in autumn and is driven across the landscape by the wind to disperse seeds.
"As the storm approached across the desert basin, a large dry tumbleweed rolled rapidly across the empty highway."
A humorous or figurative reference to a situation characterized by complete silence, inactivity, or an absolute lack of response, evoking the cinematic trope of a deserted Western town.
"After he delivered the poorly-timed punchline to his joke, there was nothing but tumbleweeds in the boardroom."
Word Origin & Etymology
Late 19th century (originally American English): A compound of 'tumble' and 'weed', coined to describe the plant's characteristic rolling motion when blown by the wind across open plains.