prune
1 Americannoun
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a variety of plum that dries without spoiling.
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such a plum when dried.
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any plum.
verb (used with object)
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to cut or lop off (twigs, branches, or roots).
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to cut or lop superfluous or undesired twigs, branches, or roots from; trim.
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to rid or clear of (anything superfluous or undesirable).
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to remove (anything considered superfluous or undesirable).
verb (used with object)
noun
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a purplish-black partially dried fruit of any of several varieties of plum tree
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slang a dull, uninteresting, or foolish person
verb
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to remove (dead or superfluous twigs, branches, etc) from (a tree, shrub, etc), esp by cutting off
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to remove (anything undesirable or superfluous) from (a book, etc)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of prune1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English prune, pruna, prum “plum, dried plum, prune,” from Old French prune, pronne, prume, from unrecorded Vulgar Latin prūna, neuter plural (taken as feminine singular) of Latin prūnum “plum,” from Greek proû(m)non, from a language of ancient Anatolia, where the tree and its fruit originated; see also plum
Origin of prune2
First recorded in 1400–50; from Middle English prouynen, from Middle French prougner, from Old French prooignier, proignier, poroindre “to cut back (vines); prune”; further origin uncertain; perhaps from unrecorded Vulgar Latin prōrotundiāre “to make round, cut in a rounded shape”; perhaps a variant of French provigner “to layer vines,” a derivative of provain “scion,” from Latin propāgin-, stem of propāgō; see origin at propagate; see also rotund ( def. )
Origin of prune3
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English prunen, pruynen, proy(g)nen, from Old French poroign-, present stem of poroindre, equivalent to por- (from Latin pro-) + oindre “to anoint”; see origin at pro- 1, unguent; see also preen 1
Explanation
To prune means to clip, crop, cut back, and weed out. Pruning usually happens to overgrown trees and bushes, but can also be helpful for wild eyebrows and guest lists that are too long. You may have also heard of another form of prune: the kind you eat. But other than dried plums, the word is generally used in verb form to describe giving something a much needed trim. Gardeners prune plants, cutting back dead branches and weak parts so they can thrive and grow better. Companies prune budgets to cut back on unnecessary spending. And you might need to prune your baseball hat collection if you're running out of places to put them.
Vocabulary lists containing prune
Dirty Words: The Language of Gardening
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Words from Shakespearean Insults
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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
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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.
See Examples For:
You can sharpen your strengths and prune a position into something that you truly enjoy.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
After India restricted LPG supplies this month, catering companies were forced to prune their offerings for weddings and other parties—or find other fuels, such as charcoal and wood.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
Trees and plants are well-manicured: officials prune, shape and clear the shrubs regularly, and parks are governed by an elaborate rulebook that includes bans on activities like cycling, skating and kite-flying, depending on the park.
From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2026
Arnold wasn’t afraid to prune the portfolio either.
From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026
Nip it in the bud, not butt, Ms. Hardwick, she answers, then adds, Sorta like when you prune a flower in the budding stage, to keep it from growing.
From "Booked" by Kwame Alexander
His team created deli-style versions of some of his breakfast menu, including Earl Grey prunes and crumpets with smoked trout.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Many Sonoma growers had historically considered grapes a crop of last resort, compared with more profitable apples, prunes and olives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2025
Think of classic pairings: sautéed apples with pork chops, applesauce with latkes, or the tangy sweetness of prunes in dishes like Chicken Marbella.
From Salon ● Mar. 19, 2025
But for long, long decades before, Santa Clara County was “the Valley of Heart’s Delight,” a bee-and-blossom Eden of fragrant fruit: cherries, apricots, and mostly plums for prunes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2024
Prune makers sent along a full-scale knight on horseback sculpted out of prunes, and the Avery Salt Mines of Louisiana displayed a copy of the Statue of Liberty carved from a block of salt.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
On a block in the city’s west side, a row of trees had been pruned to more closely resemble a brutal letter V.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
But no one expected a live demonstration, and certainly not from one of the esteemed artists featured within the museum’s pristinely pruned collection.
From Salon ● Mar. 14, 2026
Having pruned the administrative state and cut red tape, experts say Lam will focus on spurring private sector growth and digital and technological progress.
From Barron's ● Jan. 18, 2026
Thousands of trees across the city have been reinforced or pruned to prevent them from falling.
From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2025
And the houses, left soulless, died—windows glassless, doors hanging on single hinges, some of the clapboard already pruned.
From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt
Is Microsoft laying off 3,200 employees from the Xbox division just a new boss coming in and pruning an overgrown asset, or is it a sign that console gaming is coming to the end?
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
Shafer noticed he could wear a T-shirt while pruning trees instead of the usual hooded sweatshirt and knitted hat.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
They’re pruning good investors who had a down year and keeping mediocre ones who got lucky.
From MarketWatch ● May 12, 2026
Along with competitors, it’s raising bag fees and fares and pruning less-profitable routes to cope with a doubling in jet fuel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
He sets to work pruning the deadwood like a sculptor.
From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson
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.
