any tree or shrub of the genus Salix, characterized by narrow, lance-shaped leaves and dense catkins bearing small flowers, many species having tough, pliable twigs or branches used for wickerwork, etc.
the wood of any of these trees.
Informal. something, especially a cricket bat, made of willow wood.
Also called willower, willy. a machine consisting essentially of a cylinder armed with spikes revolving within a spiked casing, for opening and cleaning cotton or other fiber.
any of numerous salicaceous trees and shrubs of the genus Salix, such as the weeping willow and osiers of N temperate regions, which have graceful flexible branches, flowers in catkins, and feathery seeds
the whitish wood of certain of these trees
something made of willow wood, such as a cricket or baseball bat
a machine having a system of revolving spikes for opening and cleaning raw textile fibres
First recorded before 900; Middle English wilwe, variant of wilghe, Old English welig; cognate with Old Saxon wilgia, Dutch wilg, Low German wilge
A willow is a tree with long, flexible branches and very small leaves. If you're looking for a picnic spot, the wide, green canopy of a willow provides great shade on a hot summer day. Most willow trees grow near water or in damp locations, as their roots soak up great quantities of moisture and can be used to protect the banks of rivers and streams from erosion. Willow branches are also commonly woven together to make baskets. A "weeping willow" has distinctive, graceful branches that curve down toward the ground.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
More work will be carried out to prevent an invasion of willow plants which are threatening a wetland area, a council says.
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026
By late afternoon, the final miles carry me east toward the Colorado River, where it meanders past willow and cottonwood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2026
A fenced enclosure was constructed, a pond created and willow planted - and a ditch was "re-wiggled" to restore more natural hydrological flow and habitat complexity.
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026
Baker’s Indigenous and German heritage inform her three large abstract collage hangings, created using synthetic turf animated by acrylic paint, yarn and a variety of natural materials, including corn husk, willow, buffalo hide and buckskin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026
For now, my memories of our last day together and that big weeping willow are still clear in my mind.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
Seconds after her aspirant boyfriend, Bear, snaps the One Wish Willow to make her fall in love with him, she walks back out of her house, a little sheepish and newly smitten.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Willow, Xander and the rest of the Sunnydale Scoobies discover in the show’s sixth season, the world starts to crumble around them.
From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026
The well-heeled enthusiast will be able to drive an hour from Los Angeles, or land at the nearby airfield or helipad, grab their car from the garage and burn rubber at Willow Springs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
Access to honest-to-God race cars is one of the many perks of membership at the recently launched Singer Drivers Club, housed at the Willow Springs International Raceway about 80 miles north of Los Angeles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
That evening after practice, Grace came home to Willow Ridge to find Bien and his older brother, Alex, in the parking lot.
From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John
Among them, the height to volume model was applied to heavily browsed willows with unusual growth forms, even though the model was not designed for such distorted shapes.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 14, 2026
He previously lived for years in San Diego County, where he ran along waterways teeming with birds among reeds, willows and sycamores.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2026
The vast glass-domed exhibition space became a wonderland, with pink weeping willows and oversized toadstools adorning the runway.
From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2026
The vast Grand Palais exhibition space in central Paris was transformed into an enchanted and psychedelic forest populated by giant mushrooms and pink weeping willows.
From Barron's ● Jan. 27, 2026
Beside me, the blue willows swayed in the breeze.
From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate
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.
