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
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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
We passed by apple, nectarine and pear trees, then blackberry brambles as large as a football field.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2024
Mr. Derby finished a last glass of wine, then lit his pipe and stretched his long legs out from his chair just as Amari was walking by with the final platter of leftover blackberry pie.
From "Copper Sun" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
