crab apple
Americannoun
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a small, sour, wild apple.
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any of various small, tart, cultivated varieties of apple, used for making jelly and preserves.
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any tree bearing such fruit.
noun
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any of several rosaceous trees of the genus Malus that have white, pink, or red flowers and small sour apple-like fruits
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the fruit of any of these trees, used to make jam
Etymology
Origin of crab apple
First recorded in 1705–15
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.
"Joe, who works for me, came in and he had one little crab apple," Dame Judi told the BBC.
From BBC ● Dec. 27, 2024
The account shared a photo that some said was taken from a vantage point that neglected to show how the cherry blossom and crab apple trees were removed.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2021
“I seek pairings of materials that tell stories of the season,” she says, which for fall might mean fragrant dill flowers and fruiting branches of crab apple and quince.
From New York Times ● Nov. 18, 2020
She would settle for ripping the crab apple trees out of Jackie Kennedy’s rose garden.
From Slate ● Nov. 7, 2020
He climbed out well below the crab apple and came running back to where they sat.
From "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson
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.
