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hemp

American  
[hemp] / hɛmp /

noun

  1. Also called Indian hemp, marijuana.  a tall, coarse plant, Cannabis sativa, that is native to Asia but naturalized or cultivated in many parts of the world and is the source of a valuable fiber as well as drugs such as marijuana and hashish.

  2. the tough fiber of this plant, used for making rope, coarse fabric, etc.

  3. any of various plants resembling hemp.

  4. any of various fibers similar to hemp.

  5. a narcotic drug, as marijuana or hashish, prepared from the hemp plant.

hemp British  
/ hɛmp /

noun

  1. Also called: cannabis.   marijuana.  an annual strong-smelling Asian plant, Cannabis sativa , having tough fibres, deeply lobed leaves, and small greenish flowers: family Cannabidaeceae See also Indian hemp

  2. the fibre of this plant, used to make canvas, rope, etc

  3. any of several narcotic drugs obtained from some varieties of this plant, esp from Indian hemp See bhang cannabis hashish marijuana

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • hempen adjective
  • hemplike adjective

Etymology

Origin of hemp

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English henep, hænep; cognate with Old High German hanaf, German Hanf, Greek kánnabis; further origin uncertain, perhaps from Scythian (Herodotus describes in book 4 the Scythian hemp-smoking ceremony) or Thracian; compare also Sumerian kunibu “hemp”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The earliest passenger elevators were powered by steam engines and used hemp ropes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

She insisted on using hemp fibres, although that would take longer to install.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

Under emergency state regulations two years ago, California banned these specific hemp products and agents with the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control seized thousands of products statewide.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026

"In our sample, 7.3% of the companion dogs in the US have been given CBD and hemp products," said Leung.

From Science Daily • Nov. 28, 2025

We got little bags of puffed rice, hemp seeds, and roasted chickpeas.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.