cactus

American  

[kak-tuhs] / ˈkæk təs /

noun

• cacti,
  plural
• cactuses,
  plural
• cactus
  plural

1. any of numerous succulent plants of the family Cactaceae, of warm, arid regions of the New World, having fleshy, leafless, usually spiny stems, and typically having solitary, showy flowers.

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cactus British  

/ kækˈteɪʃəs, ˈkæktəs /

noun

1. any spiny succulent plant of the family Cactaceae of the arid regions of America. Cactuses have swollen tough stems, leaves reduced to spines or scales, and often large brightly coloured flowers

2. a double-flowered variety of dahlia

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Usage

Plural word for cactus The plural form of cactus can be either cacti, cactuses, or cactus. Cacti is most commonly used. Like many words derived from Latin, it is pluralized by replacing the -us ending with -i, as in fungus/fungi and nucleus/nuclei. However, the plural form cactuses, created by adding the typical -es to the end, is also correct. This alternative plural form is also acceptable for some other Latin-derived or related terms, as in focus/foci/focuses and radius/radii/radiuses.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cactaceous
  adjective
• cactoid
  adjective
• cactuslike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cacti
  plural
• cactus
  plural
• cactuses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cactus

1600–10; < Latin < Greek káktos cardoon

Explanation

A cactus is a succulent desert plant that's often covered in sharp spines. Some cacti grow brilliantly colored flowers, but none of them have leaves. You can grow an indoor cactus in a pot — it's a fairly easy plant to care for, since it prefers to be watered infrequently. Cacti are able to conserve water, which is why they do well in very dry environments, like the American Southwest. The Greek root of cactus is kaktos, the name of a specific spiky Sicilian plant.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cactus cacti cactuses

I washed the meal down with a cocktail made from pulque—the Aztec’s milky, sacred brew made from fermented agave sap—mixed with xoconostle, a tangy local cactus fruit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

She has a piece with prickly pear cactus as well as datura in it, which is crazy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026

For him and his fellow farmers the agave cactus was just a "stubborn, valueless weed" - planted as fencing to keep wild animals off their crops.

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026

With nearly one-third of cactus species currently threatened with extinction, researchers say the database will provide an important tool for studying how these plants may respond to climate change in the future.

From Science Daily ● May 13, 2026

They stood back by the wagon and watched the cows walk up to the cactus cautiously, sneezing at the smoldering ashes.

From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko

To visually take us there, it uses the headline "prickly heat", calling to mind the cacti of Arizona.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

However, researchers at the University of Reading found that cacti follow a different pattern.

From Science Daily ● May 13, 2026

Inside, the gardens are divided into houses highlighting different plants and climates — from the Palm House with over 70 palms, to the fern room, to the desert house filled with cacti and succulents.

From Salon ● Sep. 29, 2025

The hillside around Robert Dickran’s home in Camarillo Heights was dotted with burnt cacti and charred brush, showing just how close the fire came to his home.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2024

“In Arizona, trees are everywhere. Even ones with green trunks. Mesquite. There’re green cacti, too.”

From "Towers Falling" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Reaching the store requires a 50-mile trek from Phoenix through barren land dotted by cactuses and the occasional sign warning of blowing dust.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026

Among the cactuses in the desert of Arizona, just outside Phoenix, an extraordinary collection of buildings is emerging that will shape the future of the global economy and the world.

From BBC ● May 18, 2025

After a few hours of falling down into desert washes and getting spiked by cactuses, the group realized they were in trouble.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2024

Working together, they installed new cactuses, succulents, boulders, a hot tub and a galvanized steel cowboy tub for their boys.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2024

Next to the steakhouse is a shooting gallery, where the fake guns have such poor aim that no one can hit the little bull’s-eyes attached to plastic cactuses, wild-eyed cowboy cutouts, and stuffed, patchy-haired bobcats.

From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling