Meanings
nouncheat grass (countable and uncountable, plural cheat grasses)
plural cheat grasses · alternative cheatgrass
- countableuncountableDowny brome; drooping brome (Bromus tectorum); an annual grass native to Europe, southwestern Asia and northern Africa.
Origin
From cheat + grass, reputedly because farmers felt cheated when wheat yields were lower because of the plant invading their fields.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
cheat grass. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cheat%20grass
MLA
“cheat grass.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cheat%20grass. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cheat grass,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cheat%20grass.
Source: cheat grass on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.