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Showing results for crab apple. Search instead for crabapple.

crab apple

American  

noun

  1. a small, sour, wild apple.

  2. any of various small, tart, cultivated varieties of apple, used for making jelly and preserves.

  3. any tree bearing such fruit.


crab apple British  

noun

  1. any of several rosaceous trees of the genus Malus that have white, pink, or red flowers and small sour apple-like fruits

  2. the fruit of any of these trees, used to make jam

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of crab apple

First recorded in 1705–15


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 account shared a photo that some said was taken from a vantage point that neglected to show how the cherry blossom and crab apple trees were removed.

From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2021

In the corner of a country garden, barely a mile from steep cliffs that overlook the sea, there's a newly planted crab apple tree.

From BBC ● Dec. 24, 2020

“I seek pairings of materials that tell stories of the season,” she says, which for fall might mean fragrant dill flowers and fruiting branches of crab apple and quince.

From New York Times ● Nov. 18, 2020

She would settle for ripping the crab apple trees out of Jackie Kennedy’s rose garden.

From Slate ● Nov. 7, 2020

It was still twisted around the branch of the crab apple tree.

From "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson

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