herb
noun
a flowering plant whose stem above ground does not become woody.
herb
1 American
[urb, hurb]
/ ɜrb, hɜrb /
Herb
2
American
[hurb]
/ hɜrb /
noun
herb
British
/ ɜːrb, hɜːb /
noun
-
a seed-bearing plant whose aerial parts do not persist above ground at the end of the growing season; herbaceous plant
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any of various usually aromatic plants, such as parsley, rue, and rosemary, that are used in cookery and medicine
-
( as modifier )
a herb garden
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-
a slang term for marijuana
herb
Scientific
/ ûrb /
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of herb
1250–1300; Middle English herbe < Old French erbe, herbe < Latin herba
Explanation
What do food, medicine, and perfume have in common? Well, they all can be created from herbs. An herb is a plant that has a soft rather than a woody stem, and it tends to have a unique taste or smell. There are many kinds of plants, but one that you've likely seen mentioned on a menu or ad for a medical treatment is the herb. Herbs are distinguished from other plants by their stem, which does not become permanent and woody; instead, it stays soft. Many herbs are used in cooking, such as basil and thyme, because they add flavor to foods. Many herbs, like ginseng and chamomile, are used in tea and are believed to be good for your health.
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.
See Examples For:
The “high vibrational” herb shop offers “plant medicines for body, mind & wellness.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Thyme and honey belong to a mutual admiration society, as do berries and buttermilk; the woodiness of the herb plays beautifully against tangy yogurt, while orange zest somehow charms the entire table.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
Tasting notes: Fresh, crisp, with citrus and dried herb flavors on the mid palate, and a clean, elegant finish.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
They are home to rare and threatened species, such as the bluebell, the herb Paris, the barbastelle bat and the red-listed and locally declining marsh tit.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
I would help them make their delicious feasts, gather handfuls of sage and thyme from their front-porch herb garden.
From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour
Later on, Cohen volunteered to stage a presidential press conference and played “Reunited” by Peaches & Herb.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026
Herb Oringel spent about 10 of his 44 years with IBM doing strategic planning in Somers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Herb Alpert walks up a long driveway at his rambling Malibu estate, wincing slightly after having woken up around 3 a.m. with a cramp in his left calf.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Can we do a little Herb Alpert trivia to finish?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
It was all Herb, all the time—which makes me think that deep down, she really does love him, even though they keep breaking up.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
Crisp, with notes of green apple and ripe pear and a kiss of pepper and herbs, it pairs with everything from seafood to salad to schnitzel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
She also recommends keeping dried herbs, spices and salt available as, she says, tinned food can be slightly bland.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Remains from herbs and woody plants were also uncommon.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026
In summer, mine is a pan of roasted red onion, red pepper, squash and eggplant, marinated while warm in olive oil, herbs and a splash of red wine vinegar.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
When I came home from school, he was hovering over some fat, old cookbook, trying to stuff herbs into a chicken, and the water in a pot of pasta started bubbling over the edge.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
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.
