hibiscus

American  

[hahy-bis-kuhs, hi-] / haɪˈbɪs kəs, hɪ- /

noun

hibiscuses plural

1. Also called China rose.  a woody plant, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, of the mallow family, having large, showy flowers: the state flower of Hawaii.

2. any of numerous other plants, shrubs, or trees of the genus Hibiscus, characterized by lobate or dentate leaves and usually profusely blooming flowers.

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hibiscus British  

/ haɪˈbɪskəs /

noun

1. any plant of the chiefly tropical and subtropical malvaceous genus Hibiscus, esp H. rosa-sinensis, cultivated for its large brightly coloured flowers

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hibiscuses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hibiscus

1700–10; < New Latin, Latin < Greek hibískos mallow

Example Sentences

Property records reveal that the home, which is situated in Miami Beach on a human-made island, was snapped up by Hibiscus East LLC for $46 million.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 2026

Public IB maintains a neutral rating on Malaysia’s oil and gas sector, expects selective upstream producers like Hibiscus Petroleum and Dialog Group to stand to benefit most from higher oil prices.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026

How did you imbue your experiences from Hibiscus and Eleven Madison Park into The Noortwyck?

From Salon • Nov. 13, 2024

In San Francisco, he transformed into Hibiscus, a show-tune-loving mystic with flowing hair and a glitter-coated beard — “like Jesus with lipstick” is how one Cockette described him.

From New York Times • Apr. 12, 2024

Hibiscus teared up, and Jam’s memory flipped up the image of him ringside, tears in his eyes, his hand in hers.

From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi