Also called English ivy. a climbing vine, Hedera helix, having smooth, shiny, evergreen leaves, small, yellowish flowers, and black berries, grown as an ornamental.
any of various other climbing or trailing plants.
(often initial capital letter) Ivy League.
New England. mountain laurel.
any woody climbing or trailing araliaceous plant of the Old World genus Hedera, esp H. helix, having lobed evergreen leaves and black berry-like fruits
any of various other climbing or creeping plants, such as Boston ivy, poison ivy, and ground ivy
before 900; Middle English ivi; Old English ifig; akin to German Efeu
Ivy is a plant that climbs fences and trellises, or creeps along the ground as it grows. Most ivy has dark, shiny leaves with five points. There are many types of ivy, from English ivy (which you can also grow indoors), to the true ivy's close relative, poison ivy, which is famously irritating, causing a terrible, itchy rash. Ivies are evergreen, which means they keep their green leaves in the winter. The so-called "Ivy League" is a group of eight selective colleges (including Harvard and Princeton), given this name for the ivy that creeps up many of the campuses' old brick buildings.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"They're all very bright," he beams, pointing to each one in turn and listing their Ivy League achievements.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
You might think that getting an A grade at an Ivy League school would be hard.
From MarketWatch • May 26, 2026
In his earlier job at Boston Latin school, Emery sent along scores of young men to Ivy League schools.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
Though most of the baseball world was returning to normalcy in the fall of 2020, the Ivy League remained dark.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
“I think Mira needs real nurses,” Ivy said, as if offering a professional opinion.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
