poppy

American  

[pop-ee] / ˈpɒp i /

noun

• poppies
  plural

1. any plant of the genus Papaver, having showy, usually red flowers.

2. any of several related or similar plants, as the California poppy or the prickly poppy.

3. an extract, as opium, from such a plant.

4. Also called poppy red.  an orangish red resembling scarlet.

5. Architecture. poppyhead.

6. an artificial flower resembling a poppy, especially one received as evidence of a contribution to a fund for disabled war veterans.

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idioms

1. tall poppy, someone of preeminence or with a large income; important and powerful person.

poppy ¹ British  

/ ˈpɒpɪ /

noun

1. any of numerous papaveraceous plants of the temperate genus Papaver, having red, orange, or white flowers and a milky sap See corn poppy Iceland poppy opium poppy

2. any of several similar or related plants, such as the California poppy, prickly poppy, horned poppy, and Welsh poppy

3. obsolete any of the drugs, such as opium, that are obtained from these plants

4. 1. a strong red to reddish-orange colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      a poppy dress

5. a less common name for poppyhead

6. an artificial red poppy flower worn to mark Remembrance Sunday

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poppy ² British  

/ ˈpɒpɪ /

adjective

1. of or relating to pop music

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Usage

What does poppy mean? The name poppy can refer to any plant in the poppy family, especially in the genus Papaver, which typically have red, orange, or white showy, solitary flowers. Varieties include the California poppy, the Oriental poppy, the corn poppy, the Iceland poppy, and the prickly poppy. Poppies are popular in gardens and bouquets. Poppies release a milky sap that we call latex. Poppy seeds are used in baking and cooking. The variety of poppy known as the opium poppy is used to produce opium, which contains several narcotic substances used in drugs and painkilling medicines (including morphine and codeine). After World War I, red poppies became a symbol used to remember fallen soldiers. Today, these are often artificial. The poppy is one of the August birth flowers (a flower that’s associated with a particular month in the same way as a birthstone). Example: My grandfather always pins a poppy to his shirt on Memorial Day. Completely unrelatedly, the word poppy is also an adjective form of the noun pop, as in pop music, which is simply a shortening of popular. This sense of poppy is used to describe things considered representative of pop. Example: The band seems like they’re going for more of a poppy sound on their new album. 

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• poppylike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• poppies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of poppy

before 900; Middle English; Old English popæg, papig ≪ Vulgar Latin *papāvum, for Latin papāver

Explanation

A poppy is a big, bright flower that blooms at the height of summer. Many poppies have brilliant red papery petals. Poppies are beautiful flowers that play a big role in The Wizard of Oz when a field full of the flowers puts Dorothy to sleep. The scene refers to poppies as the source of opium, a powerful, sleep-inducing drug that's made from one species of poppy. Another variety gives us the poppy seeds used on bagels and in lemon muffins. In Britain, poppies are a symbol of Remembrance, the U.K. equivalent of Veteran's Day.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

poppy poppies

Apart from poppy seeds, the product also contains sesame seeds, sea salt, minced garlic and minced onion.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Flowers played a prominent role, with a spray of daffodils bursting from one skirt or the red-orange petals of California's poppy, the state flower, cascading down a dress.

From Barron's ● May 14, 2026

That means seeking out flavors far beyond the realm of sesame and poppy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026

“The idea is to take inspiration from where you would use things like fennel seeds, sesame seeds, or poppy seeds,” Ziata explained.

From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2026

On a sideboard nearby there was a little chafing dish and a basket of poppy heads.

From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman

As late as the 1800s, most commodities were cultivated: Cinnamon bark was peeled and rolled into quills, opium juiced from poppies, and tea leaves dried out in the sun.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

“Then, from their ideas, we drew out a lot of poppies, peacocks. We took their designs, and we talked to an artist to make it more feasible.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

The soldiers are shadowed by an allegorical figure carrying poppies, symbolizing sleep—an analog, in the art of the time, for death—and a laurel branch symbolizing peace.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

John Pickles, a "postcode gardener" with Friends of the Earth, said a patch of grass on the Orchard Park estate had been brought to life with flowers including ox-eye daisies, purple thistles and yellow poppies.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

And so everything is new and brave, red poppies and good food, cigarettes and summer breeze.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque

Related Words

• drug
• heroin
• morphine
• opiate