garland
1 Americannoun
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a wreath or festoon of flowers, leaves, or other material, worn for ornament or as an honor or hung on something as a decoration.
A garland of laurel was placed on the winner's head.
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a representation of such a wreath or festoon.
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a collection of short literary pieces, as poems and ballads; literary miscellany.
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Nautical. a band, collar, or grommet, as of rope.
verb (used with object)
noun
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Hamlin 1860–1940, U.S. novelist, short-story writer, and poet.
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Judy Frances Gumm, 1922–69, U.S. singer and actress.
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a city in NE Texas, near Dallas.
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a male or female given name.
noun
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a wreath or festoon of flowers, leaves, etc, worn round the head or neck or hung up
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a representation of such a wreath, as in painting, sculpture, etc
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a collection of short literary pieces, such as ballads or poems; miscellany or anthology
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nautical a ring or grommet of rope
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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garlandsimple
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garlandssimple
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have garlandedperfect
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has garlandedperfect
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am garlandingprogressive
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are garlandingprogressive
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is garlandingprogressive
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have been garlandingperfect progressive
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has been garlandingperfect progressive
Past
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garlandedsimple
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had garlandedperfect
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was garlandingprogressive
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were garlandingprogressive
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had been garlandingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of garland
1275–1325; Middle English ger ( e ) lande, garlande < Old French < ?
Explanation
A garland is a circular arrangement of flowers, worn or hung for decoration. Think of the strings of pine and holly people hang at holiday time, or the ring of roses they put around the Kentucky Derby winner's neck. First recorded circa 1300, the word garland in the simplest terms means a circle of flowers or other greenery. Hawaiian leis are a type of garland, as are holiday wreaths and the little flower crowns that flower girls wear at weddings. If you want to get spiritual about garlands, you can refer back to this Buddha quote: "Fashion your life as a garland of beautiful deeds."
Vocabulary lists containing garland
Forged by Fire
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"To an Athlete Dying Young" by A. E. Housman
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Tolkien Reading Day, List 9
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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 Clippers sent 36-year-old James Harden, who was having his highest-scoring season in six years, to Cleveland in exchange for the 26-year-old Garland and a 2028 second-round selection.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 21, 2026
With that, “Hacks” goes out on a Seinfeldian high note, cutting to Deborah and Ava happily strolling the Vegas strip on a sun-soaked day as a Barbra Streisand-Judy Garland duet lilts behind them.
From Salon • May 29, 2026
Film student Alice Garland is a fan of the noir aesthetic, and she feels the option is a "great way" to bring in newer audiences.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
The traditional folk song “Billy Boy” was first transformed into modern jazz by Ahmad Jamal in 1952, and that arrangement was also played by Red Garland.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
The intercom came on and a female voice said, “Inspector Garland, the lab report on Mr. Polokov’s corpse is ready.”
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
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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.