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• olive
  olive

  noun

  an evergreen tree, Olea europaea, of Mediterranean and other warm regions, cultivated chiefly for its fruit.
• Olive
  Olive

  noun

  a female given name.

olive

¹ American  

[ol-iv] / ˈɒl ɪv /

noun

• olives
  plural

1. an evergreen tree, Olea europaea, of Mediterranean and other warm regions, cultivated chiefly for its fruit.

2. the fruit of this tree, a small oval drupe, eaten as a relish and used as a source of oil.

3. Also called olive wood. the wood of this tree, valued for ornamental work.

4. the foliage of this tree.

5. a wreath of it.

6. any of various related or similar trees.

7. olive branch.

8. the ocher green or dull yellow green of the unripe olive fruit.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or made of olives, their foliage, or their fruit.

2. of the color olive.

3. tinged with this color.

   an olive complexion.

Olive ² American  

[ol-iv] / ˈɒl ɪv /

noun

1. a female given name.

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olive British  

/ ˈɒlɪv /

noun

1. an evergreen oleaceous tree, Olea europaea, of the Mediterranean region but cultivated elsewhere, having white fragrant flowers, and edible shiny black fruits

2. the fruit of this plant, eaten as a relish and used as a source of olive oil

3. the wood of the olive tree, used for ornamental work

4. any of various trees or shrubs resembling the olive

5. 1. a yellow-green colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      an olive coat

6. an angler's name for the dun of various mayflies or an artificial fly in imitation of this

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or made of the olive tree, its wood, or its fruit

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subolive
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• olives
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of olive

1150–1200; Middle English < Old French < Latin olīva, by-form of olea < dialectal Greek *elaíwa olive, olive tree; cf. oil, oleaceous

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Explanation

An olive is a very small fruit, although you probably think of it as a savory snack. You might find an olive on a salad, on a pizza, or even on a toothpick in your martini. Olives are so naturally bitter that they're basically inedible unless they've been treated — cured with lye or salt, and then fermented. In addition to the olives you see in jars on grocery store shelves, olive trees yield an expensive, durable wood; and of course, olive oil. You can also describe the yellowish-green color of an unripe olive as olive. And when someone offers "an olive branch," they are trying to make peace or come to an understanding.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

olive Olive olives

"Our homes, the graves of our loved ones, our olive trees, our lands -- it all risks being torn from our hands," says Nejla Isik, pointing to the area on a map.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

I love tossing it with cubetti pasta, peas and canned white beans for a quick pasta salad, but it’s also fantastic smeared on sourdough toast and piled with olive oil-marinated vegetables.

From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026

Amid record ocean temperatures, a third olive ridley sea turtle has laid its eggs in Southern California — this time on San Buenaventura State Beach in Ventura.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

I add clotted cream, a little bit of Parmesan, a tiny bit of lemon—that’s my secret—and good olive oil with a little bit of butter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

“Maybe so. But the image of the olive tree is a nice one, don’t you think?”

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Almost all the homes on West Palm Street between Olive and Glen were wiped out in January 2025.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026

Olive Bar tomato soup: A bright, tangy vegetarian tomato soup with sun-dried tomatoes, marinated garlic and feta.

From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026

Traders piled into riskier corners of the markets, juicing gains in shares of chip makers, smaller companies and a range of economically sensitive businesses such as Norwegian Cruise Line and Olive Garden parent Darden Restaurants.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

She was transferred to Hunstanton Sea Life Centre in Norfolk, where a second loggerhead turtle, called Olive, has been under care since December.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

Mrs. Cranston loomed up to wrap Olive in the lap robe.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

“I’m not one of those people who puts out olives and almonds, or chips.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

He was attacked as he joined the harvest as a symbolic gesture with Palestinians, for whom olives are an important cultural symbol.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

Some begin swiftly wrapping up the olives to leave.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

When the 2023 flood came, his crew scrambled to set up about 30 diesel pumps and sent water flowing onto a vineyard and orchards of almonds, pistachios and olives.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026

Dany drew him down to the cushions beside her, and Jhiqui brought them a bowl of purple olives and onions drowned in wine.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

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