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• garden
  garden

  noun

  a plot of ground, usually near a house, where flowers, shrubs, vegetables, fruits, or herbs are cultivated.
• Garden
  Garden

  noun

  Alexander, 1730?–91, U.S. naturalist, born in Scotland.

garden

¹ American  

[gahr-dn] / ˈgɑr dn /

noun

• gardens
  plural

1. a plot of ground, usually near a house, where flowers, shrubs, vegetables, fruits, or herbs are cultivated.

2. a piece of ground or other space, commonly with ornamental plants, trees, etc., used as a park or other public recreation area.

   a public garden.

3. a fertile and delightful spot or region.

4. British. yard.

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adjective

1. pertaining to, produced in, or suitable for cultivation or use in a garden.

   fresh garden vegetables; garden furniture.

2. garden-variety.

verb (used without object)

• gardens,
  present (3rd person singular)
• gardened,
  past participle,  past
• gardening
  present participle

1. to lay out, cultivate, or tend a garden.

verb (used with object)

• gardens,
  present (3rd person singular)
• gardened,
  past participle,  past
• gardening
  present participle

1. to cultivate as a garden.

idioms

1. lead up / down the garden path, to deceive or mislead in an enticing way; lead on; delude.

   The voters had been led up the garden path too often to take a candidate's promises seriously.

Garden ² American  

[gahr-dn] / ˈgɑr dn /

noun

1. Alexander, 1730?–91, U.S. naturalist, born in Scotland.

2. Mary, 1877–1967, U.S. soprano.

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garden British  

/ ˈɡɑːdən /

noun

1. 1. US and Canadian word: yard.  an area of land, usually planted with grass, trees, flowerbeds, etc, adjoining a house

   2. ( as modifier )

      a garden chair

2. 1. an area of land used for the cultivation of ornamental plants, herbs, fruit, vegetables, trees, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      garden tools

3. (often plural) such an area of land that is open to the public, sometimes part of a park

   botanical gardens

4. 1. a fertile and beautiful region

   2. ( as modifier )

      a garden paradise

5. (modifier) provided with or surrounded by a garden or gardens

   a garden flat

6. informal to mislead or deceive a person

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adjective

1. informal ordinary; unexceptional

verb

1. to work in, cultivate, or take care of (a garden, plot of land, etc)

garden More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing garden

• lead down the garden path

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• garden-like
  adjective
• gardenable
  adjective
• gardenless
  adjective
• gardenlike
  adjective
• ungardened
  adjective
• well-gardened
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• gardens
  plural

Participles

• gardening
  present
• gardened
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• garden
  simple
• gardens
  simple
• have gardened
  perfect
• has gardened
  perfect
• am gardening
  progressive
• are gardening
  progressive
• is gardening
  progressive
• have been gardening
  perfect progressive
• has been gardening
  perfect progressive

Past

• gardened
  simple
• had gardened
  perfect
• was gardening
  progressive
• were gardening
  progressive
• had been gardening
  perfect progressive

Future

• will garden
  simple
• will have gardened
  perfect
• will be gardening
  progressive
• will have been gardening
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of garden

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English gardin, from Old North French gardin, Old French jardin, from Germanic; compare Old High German gartin-, German Garten; see also yard ²

Explanation

A garden is a piece of land that's used to grow flowers, vegetables, or other plants. Your grandmother might be so proud of her rose garden that she gives every visitor a tour of it. A vegetable garden is often planted in straight rows, sometimes within a raised bed. Flower gardens can take all sorts of shapes, from tidy to meandering. When you work in your garden, pulling weeds or planting seedlings, you garden. In the UK, a garden is what's called a yard in the US — any bit of land just outside of a house. The phrase "garden variety" means "ordinary:" "Oh he's just a garden variety mixed-breed dog, nothing fancy."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

garden Garden gardens gardened gardening

It’s hard to think of Al Kooper just sitting there enjoying his marriage and his garden.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

I had, apparently, dragged my brownies through the garden.

From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026

New fans are coming to watch games from the pub’s beachfront beer garden.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Several British zoos are setting up so-called ark populations of the glutinous snail, one of Europe's rarest species, using creatures bred in a back garden in Ceredigion.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

“Are you okay if we talk in the garden out back?” he asks.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Philip surveyed three streets on behalf of the England Data Unit, all within a few minutes' walk of Covent Garden, on a weekday evening.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

What’s more iconic than selling out Madison Square Garden?

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

Widdecombe added that it was all so secretive that he had to tell his taxi driver he was testing for a show called The Great Garden Glow Up, if he was asked.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

On Aug. 29, Mr. Bhagwat addressed some 5,000 people at Madison Square Garden at an event billed as a celebration of “universal oneness.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

There was one of those huge DiamondVision screens in the comer of the Garden.

From "The Million Dollar Shot" by Dan Gutman

In the past, some in the community considered wild boar and deer pests for damaging their gardens and crops, she said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

The neighborhood where the museum is located — once a well-appointed Nile-side quarter of luxury hotels, architecturally adventurous towers and botanical gardens — became a prime target for the RSF.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

"Throughout that time - and around 700 programmes - I have had the privilege of sharing my own abiding passion for gardens and gardening with an equally passionate, and often equally knowledgeable audience," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

There are sweet pastoral pieces that evoke gardens and rolling hills.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

Her feet must have leather soles, Dicey thought as they crossed through the vegetable gardens on a dirt path.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

Both gardened, and she thinks the accident contributed to their illnesses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Growing up, he often gardened with his grandmother in the yard of her home in Baldwin Park.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2023

All 291 participants were adults and had not gardened within the last two years.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 23, 2023

A University of Arkansas researcher found that women over 50 who gardened at least once a week showed higher bone-density readings than those who engaged in jogging, swimming, walking or aerobics.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 15, 2022

Lena gardened in the back beneath a large sun hat.

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

They said Walmart could venture into shorter video content involving things like home renovations and gardening, made in collaboration with suppliers.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

The batter looked almost suspiciously vegetable-heavy going into the oven, the sort of mixture that makes you wonder whether you have misunderstood either baking or gardening.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

Hannah considers gardening to be similar to preparing for a race.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

Naomi Saunders from Felinheli, Gwynedd, started gardening during lockdown and quickly found herself in possession of more than 300 houseplants.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

I wonder if he will lose his cleaning job like some of the gardening jobs.

From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na

Related Words

• back yard
• bed
• field
• greenhouse
• nursery
• patio
• terrace