hibiscus
Americannoun
-
hibiscuses
plural
-
Also called China rose. a woody plant, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, of the mallow family, having large, showy flowers: the state flower of Hawaii.
-
any of numerous other plants, shrubs, or trees of the genus Hibiscus, characterized by lobate or dentate leaves and usually profusely blooming flowers.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of hibiscus
1700–10; < New Latin, Latin < Greek hibískos mallow
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:
Depending on your mood, you might continue with Royal Red shrimp served raw with dots of fermented Scotch bonnet pepper and a dusting of spiced red hibiscus flower.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
It’s meticulously organized perfection: Its various neighborhoods, gated communities, parks, and street are pristine and feature shallow lagoons and golf courses, palm trees and hibiscus, blue skies and backyard swimming pools.
From Slate ● Dec. 18, 2025
Amid brightly colored stands selling spices, candies and imitation Labubus in all shades, the mono-monikered actor Tonatiuh sips on a hibiscus agua fresca at El Mercadito in Boyle Heights.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2025
Top it off with hot or hibiscus honey.
From Salon ● Dec. 17, 2024
This morning he had placed a flower in a vase on his desk, a single scarlet hibiscus, and the vase sat beside the black velvet-lined pearl tray in front of him.
From "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck
In such a garden, you could position ostrich ferns in and around other bog lovers: winterberry, Yaupon holly or river birch, or the herbaceous hardy hibiscuses, swamp lobelias or ligularias.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 8, 2015
“See, the purple hibiscuses are about to bloom,” Jaja said, as we got out of the car.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
They seemed to bloom so fast, those red hibiscuses, considering how often Mama cut them to decorate the church altar and how often visitors plucked them as they walked past to their parked cars.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
They started before, when all the hibiscuses in our front yard were a startling red.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Jajas eyes shone as he talked about the hibiscuses, as he held them out so I could touch the cold, moist sticks.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
