wilt
wilt — verb
- wiltpresent simple I / you / we / they
- wiltshe / she / it
- wiltedpast simple
- wilting-ing form
1. When a plant or flower becomes weak and bends downward because it does not have
When a plant or flower becomes weak and bends downward because it does not have enough water or is too hot, or to cause this to happen.
The tomato plants on the balcony wilted after three days without rain.
intransitive: plant + wilted + cause/duration
If you forget to water the ivy, it starts to wilt by the next morning.
conditional: if + forget to water + wilt
The midday sun wilted the row of sunflowers standing near the fence.
Zayd's basil seedlings wilted badly during the unexpected heatwave in April.
文法句型
wilt (intransitive, plant subject)
wilt something (transitive, cause to wilt)
用法筆記
Frequently intransitive with a plant as the subject; the transitive use (e.g., 'the sun wilted the flowers') is less common but acceptable.
常見錯誤
2. If a person becomes gradually weaker, more tired, or less enthusiastic, especial
If a person becomes gradually weaker, more tired, or less enthusiastic, especially in a difficult situation or hot weather.
Bao wilted under the pressure of back-to-back exams and barely slept that week.
Even the most confident speakers can wilt when the audience stares back in silence.
metaphorical use: confidence + can wilt + condition
Hannah felt herself wilt in the tropical heat of the afternoon parade.
Sade could see her team wilt as the boss listed yet another set of deadlines.
文法句型
wilt (person subject)
用法筆記
Often used metaphorically to describe a gradual loss of confidence, energy, or willpower under sustained pressure or heat. Unlike sense 1, this sense is always intransitive.
3. To cook leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, or salad greens in a hot pan or pot
To cook leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, or salad greens in a hot pan or pot just until they soften and shrink, or for the leaves to become soft in this way — usually taking less than a minute.
Reuben wilted the spinach in a hot pan with garlic and olive oil.
transitive: cook + wilt + vegetable + pan + oil
Add the fresh kale and let it wilt for about two minutes before serving.
cooking instruction: let + vegetable + wilt + time
The arugula leaves wilted instantly when they hit the hot pasta.
Piotr wilted the Swiss chard in the same pan he used for the onions.
- steam lightly
different method — uses steam rather than direct pan heat
- sauté briefly
overlapping but sautéeing usually implies browning; wilting does not
文法句型
wilt something (transitive, cook)
wilt (intransitive, vegetable subject)
用法筆記
Common in UK and US recipe writing. The intransitive use describes greens that soften on contact with heat (e.g., 'the spinach wilted in the pan'). The cook is the subject in the transitive use.
常見錯誤
4. An old form of 'will' used only with 'thou' (meaning 'you', one person) in histo
An old form of 'will' used only with 'thou' (meaning 'you', one person) in historical or religious English.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.
archaic grammar: thou + wilt + verb
If thou wilt walk in my ways, I will bless thy family for generations.
conditional: if + thou + wilt + verb
Fear not, for thou wilt be with me always, said the old hymn.
Gabriel read aloud: 'Ask, and thou wilt receive; seek, and thou wilt find.'
文法句型
thou wilt + base verb
用法筆記
This form is not used in modern English outside of biblical quotations, historical fiction, or deliberate poetic/liturgical style. The modern equivalent is 'you will'.
常見錯誤
wilt — noun
1. The condition or process of a plant or flower becoming weak and bending downward
The condition or process of a plant or flower becoming weak and bending downward, usually from lack of water.
A quick watering can reverse the wilt of potted herbs in summer.
collocation: reverse + the wilt + of + plant
The roses showed signs of wilt before Arjun gave them a thorough drink.
A light misting helps reduce the wilt of cut flowers on a warm day.
Liang checked the garden and noticed a slight wilt in the new lettuce patch.
- droop
can be a noun too; 'a droop in the leaves'
- turgor
technical term for the firm, swollen state of a well-watered plant
文法句型
the wilt of something
in a wilt
用法筆記
Less common as a noun than as a verb. When used as a countable noun it often appears in the phrase 'a wilt' (e.g., 'the flowers have a wilt').
2. Any of several diseases that attack plants, causing the leaves and stems to droo
Any of several diseases that attack plants, causing the leaves and stems to droop, turn yellow, and often die, typically caused by fungi, bacteria, or lack of water in the roots.
Fusarium wilt destroyed nearly half of the banana crop in that region.
disease name: Fusarium wilt + affected crop
Anya noticed the tomato wilt spreading from one plant to the next along the row.
Vinícius bought wilt-resistant cucumber seeds after losing his crop last season.
Bacterial wilt is a serious problem for farmers who grow potatoes year after year.
- blight
broader term for any plant disease that causes damage or death
文法句型
[name] wilt
wilt disease
用法筆記
Usually paired with a specific name (e.g., 'fusarium wilt', 'bacterial wilt', 'verticillium wilt') in agricultural or gardening contexts. The word alone may refer to any such disease.