cherry
noun
the fruit of any of various trees belonging to the genus Prunus, of the rose family, consisting of a pulpy, globular drupe enclosing a one-seeded smooth stone.
cherry
1 American
[cher-ee]
/ ˈtʃɛr i /
noun
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cherries
plural
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the fruit of any of various trees belonging to the genus Prunus, of the rose family, consisting of a pulpy, globular drupe enclosing a one-seeded smooth stone.
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the tree bearing such a fruit.
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the wood of such a tree.
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any of various fruits or plants resembling the cherry.
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bright red; cerise.
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Slang: Often Vulgar.
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the hymen.
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the state of virginity.
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Slang.
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something new or unused.
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a novice.
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Underworld Slang. a first offender.
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Bowling. the striking down of only the forward pin or pins in attempting to make a spare.
adjective
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bright-red; cerise.
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(of food and beverages) made with or containing cherries or cherrylike flavoring.
cherry pie; cherry soda.
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(of furniture, woodwork, etc.) made of or covered or decorated with wood from the cherry tree.
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Slang: Often Vulgar. being a virgin.
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Slang.
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new or unused.
a three-year-old car in cherry condition.
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inexperienced; being an innocent novice.
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Cherry
2
American
[cher-ee]
/ ˈtʃɛr i /
noun
cherry
British
/ ˈtʃɛrɪ /
noun
-
any of several trees of the rosaceous genus Prunus, such as P. avium ( sweet cherry ), having a small fleshy rounded fruit containing a hard stone See also bird cherry
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the fruit or wood of any of these trees
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any of various unrelated plants, such as the ground cherry and Jerusalem cherry
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a bright red colour; cerise
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( as adjective )
a cherry coat
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slang virginity or the hymen as its symbol
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(modifier) of or relating to the cherry fruit or wood
cherry tart
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of cherry
1300–50; Middle English cheri variant of chirie, back formation from Old English ciris- (taken for plural) ≪ Vulgar Latin *ceresium for *cerasium ( Latin cerasum ) < Greek kerásion cherry
Explanation
A cherry is a beautiful flowering tree, and it's also the name of the small, red fruit that grows on it. If you learn to bake a perfect cherry pie, you will become a legend among your dessert-loving friends. Ripe cherries are deep red and exquisitely sweet, with small inedible pits. Cherry is an almost universally loved flavor, from cherry danishes and cherry lollipops to the cherry on top of a hot fudge sundae. Cherry is also used to describe a bright red color. The word itself comes from a Greek root, kerasos, which means "cherry tree," and also refers to a region of ancient Greece historians believe first exported cherries to Europe.
Vocabulary lists containing cherry
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:
As the cherry on top, this property could increase in value as much, perhaps, as stocks and bonds would.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
"It was like the cherry on top of the cake. It adds some more values to this big event for Benin, and it's going to be a big event for the world of football."
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
The cherry tomatoes burst, their skins turning silky and their juices almost pasty around the edges.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
Barbera d'Asti, "traditionally dominated by notes of cherry and plum, is increasingly evolving toward more concentrated aromas of blackberry and blackcurrant", Garberoglio said after a tasting.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
He went to a shady spot under the cherry tree and looked down at the Long Island Sound.
From I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis
Andy Klein, 60, an attorney in Cherry Hill, N.J., who bought tickets to see Train, Barenaked Ladies and Matt Nathanson in July:
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
He also adapted Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard for the theatre, helping transform it from a "small fringe theatre" into a "venue regarded as the equal of the leading theatres of the West End".
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
One of Lloyd’s London plays, “Shifters,” is currently playing in the off-Broadway Cherry Lane Theater.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
The show also nabbed five nominations for guest actress in a comedy series for Leslie Bibb, Cherry Jones, Laurie Metcalf, Kaitlin Olson and Lauren Weedman.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Nicole was picking me up, and I wanted her to meet Cherry.
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
In a whitewashed basement in a village south of Kabul, a dozen young women bustle about, stirring cauldrons of bubbling cherries and plums, and sticking labels on glass jam jars.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Adding foods like blueberries, plums, blackberries, broad beans, and cherries to your daily diet, especially when paired with green tea, could be a simple way to support heart health, according to new research.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026
Berries, peaches, cherries, plums — anything that can be washed at home and eaten out of hand.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026
Yes, they grow cherries in Southern California — in the Leona Valley, in the high desert west of Palmdale.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
She wanted her own cherries, from her own cherry tree, with stems and seeds; not some too-sweet mashed mush.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
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.
