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Definition of wheaton

wheaton

/ˈwiː.tən/
Whea · ton
Plural:Wheatons
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wheaton Lexical Profile

• noun

1

American A city in Illinois, United States, serving as the county seat of DuPage County, located in the western suburbs of Chicago.

2

American The name of several academic institutions in the United States, most notably a Christian liberal arts college in Illinois and a secular liberal arts college in Massachusetts.

Example

"She applied to Wheaton College because of its strong reputation in the liberal arts."

3

American A census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, situated just north of Washington, D.C.

Word Nuance & Usage

Often confused with 'Wheaten', which is typically used as an adjective (e.g., Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier), whereas 'Wheaton' is predominantly a proper noun used for geographic locations, institutions, and surnames.

• Rhymes for wheaton

• Nearby Words

wheatgrass
wheatless
wheatmeal
wheaton
wheaty
whee
wheedle

Word Origin & Etymology

Derived from Old English 'hwǣte' (wheat) and 'tūn' (settlement, farm, or town), meaning 'wheat farm' or 'wheat town'. It developed as a widespread English surname before being applied to various North American settlements.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Wheaton. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/wheaton
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