Jump To:

• 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.

---

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.

---

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

---

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

See Examples For:

aspen Aspen

The sun was bright, the temperatures hovered in the upper-60s, and leaves of maple, oak, aspen and ginkgo trees colored the city with splashes of yellow, orange and red.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2025

It has been trying to restore the woodlands by introducing downy birch, sessile oak, hazel, willow, aspen and alder as well as endangered tree species such as Arran whitebeam.

From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2025

Yes, stands of aspen and willows are thriving again — in some places.

From New York Times ● Apr. 23, 2024

In many areas, deciduous shrubs and trees, like willow and aspen, are moving in after a fire.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 16, 2024

Then she frosted the aspen leaves and left them sunshine yellow.

From "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

“There are no American bases in Jordan. We have American troops that are in Jordan as part of our long-standing military cooperation,” he said at the Aspen Security Forum earlier this month.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

The park's previous grey wolves, which had arrived together in 2010, faced a number of age-related health issues, with Cedar, Idaho and Rocky dying first, leaving just Chaser and Aspen.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

“Wealth is not a luxury,” said Joanna Smith-Ramani, co–executive director of the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

The owner of Aspen, Colo.’s Little Nell hotel is capitalizing on the property’s chic cachet to launch a new luxury hospitality brand, aiming to cash in on the booming high-end travel market.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

“It's a ski resort, but it's not pretentious. In Jackson, they say people who go to Aspen expect somebody to tie their ski boots up for them,” Georgina said.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie