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• aspen
  aspen

  noun

  any of various poplars, as Populus tremula, of Europe, and P. tremuloides quaking aspen or P. alba white aspen, of America, having soft wood and alternate ovate leaves that tremble in the slightest breeze.
• Aspen
  Aspen

  noun

  a town in central Colorado: ski resort.

aspen

¹ American  

[as-puhn] / ˈæs pən /

noun

1. any of various poplars, as Populus tremula, of Europe, and P. tremuloides quaking aspen or P. alba white aspen, of America, having soft wood and alternate ovate leaves that tremble in the slightest breeze.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the aspen.

2. trembling or quivering, like the leaves of the aspen.

Aspen ² American  

[as-puhn] / ˈæs pən /

noun

1. a town in central Colorado: ski resort.

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aspen British  

/ ˈæspən /

noun

1. Archaic name: asp.  any of several trees of the salicaceous genus Populus, such as P. tremula of Europe, in which the leaves are attached to the stem by long flattened stalks so that they quiver in the wind

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adjective

1. archaic trembling

Etymology

Origin of aspen

1350–1400; Middle English aspen (adj.), Old English æspen; cognate with Old Frisian espen (adj.), espenbeam, Middle Dutch espenboom, Old High German espîn (adj.). See asp ², -en ²

Example Sentences

Robert Allbritton was on a ski lift in Aspen, Colo., when he learned that many of the Washington Post’s top journalists were considering leaving the storied but troubled outlet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

After two decades as an online retailer, Revolve now is giving priority to physical storefronts, opening locations in Aspen, Colo., and Los Angeles.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

This is not “your typical sale of a property in Aspen with a 20,000-square-foot home on it,” he said.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 2026

He is reported to own an estimated 20 properties around the world, many of which are located in top skiing locales, including Aspen, Vermont, and Norway.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 2026

It’s not quite Gstaad or Aspen, but the weather is cold enough to ski on the snow-covered mountains looming to the north.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady