the fruit, black or very dark purple when ripe, of certain species of the genus Rubus.
the plant itself.
Also called: bramble. any of several woody plants of the rosaceous genus Rubus , esp R. fruticosus , that have thorny stems and black or purple glossy edible berry-like fruits (drupelets)
the fruit of any of these plants
( as modifier )
blackberry jam
an ornamental Chinese iridaceous plant, Belamcanda chinensis , that has red-spotted orange flowers and clusters of black seeds that resemble blackberries
before 1000; Middle English blakeberie, Old English blaceberie. See black, berry
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They banked almost 500,000 seeds from 19 species, including relatives of lettuce, parsnip, strawberry, radish, quinoa, blackberry, alfalfa and several species used as fodder crops for livestock.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026
Generous hunks of vanilla bean dot her lemon marmalade; bay leaf infuses her blackberry jam.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 10, 2025
It feels peaceful, apart from the air raids, with gardens full of poultry, blackberry bushes and fruit trees.
From BBC • Sep. 16, 2025
The small box includes three flavors, all inspired by Salt Lick’s menu: honey pecan BBQ, smoked brisket and blackberry cobbler.
From Salon • Apr. 18, 2025
Then I put my gloves on and got a trowel and kind of scraped the chicken poop off the floor of the henhouse into a bucket and dumped it in the blackberry bushes.
From "Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer" by Kelly Jones
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.
