An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; apparently from proper name
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The men of the cutting crew are already hard at work harvesting the tall burley tobacco plants that have taken root in the soil over the past few months.
From New York Times • Nov. 22, 2021
Wagner met Dillon at the line but the burley 247-pound second-year running back carried him into the end zone.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 14, 2021
It also has burley wheels with super-wide-flange hubs, a dropper seat post, and a low center of gravity for great handling.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 5, 2018
That’s how 60-year-old Laura Donnelly ended up running alongside burley, tattooed men.
From The Guardian • Jun. 8, 2016
There we could grow our own burley tobacco to sell, along with maize and other vegetables to eat.
From "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" by William Kamkwamba
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.
