briar

¹ American

[brahy-er] / ˈbraɪ ər /

noun

brier.

briar ² American

[brahy-er] / ˈbraɪ ər /

noun

brier.

briar ¹ British

/ ˈbraɪə /

noun

Also called: tree heath. an ericaceous shrub, Erica arborea , of S Europe, having a hard woody root (briarroot)
a tobacco pipe made from the root of this plant

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

briar ² British

/ ˈbraɪə /

noun

a variant spelling of brier 1

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

briary

adjective

Etymology

Origin of briar

C19: from French bruyère heath, from Late Latin brūcus , of Gaulish origin

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

briar

The glasses were sold along with a Barling briar pipe and two photographs of the comic.

From BBC ● Jan. 11, 2025

Now he's caught in a briar patch of predatory lending endangering his life and his and Dennis' livelihood.

From Salon ● Jun. 14, 2023

Guests will have their final chance to plunge a five-story drop through a briar patch on May 30, giving Disneyland attendees one last busy Memorial Day weekend to experience the attraction in its current form.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2023

And the witness box is his briar patch.

From Washington Times ● Feb. 27, 2023

The Tillermans stood on the sidewalk, separated by a briar hedge from this scene.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023