cranberry
Americannoun
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the red, acid fruit or berry of certain plants of the genus Vaccinium, of the heath family, as V. macrocarpon large cranberry, or American cranberry or V. oxycoccus small cranberry, or European cranberry, used in making sauce, relish, jelly, or juice.
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the plant itself, growing wild in bogs or cultivated in acid soils, especially in the northeastern U.S.
noun
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any of several trailing ericaceous shrubs of the genus Vaccinium, such as the European V. oxycoccus, that bear sour edible red berries
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the berry of this plant, used to make sauce or jelly
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cranberry
An Americanism dating back to 1640–50; from Low German kraanbere; see crane, berry
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Vocabulary lists containing cranberry
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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.
MSA, a Cranberry Township, Pa., provider of safety products, on Tuesday said Norway-based Autronica has about 550 employees and posted 2025 sales of about $160 million.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026
Cranberry sauce is all you need to make your house smell so good and welcoming.
From Salon • Nov. 26, 2025
Lori Sarver, 54, has lived in Cranberry Township in southwestern Butler County for 40 years but used to live in Allegheny County.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 17, 2024
In Manitoba, about 500 people have been forced out of their homes in the remote northwestern community of Cranberry Portage ahead of a fire measuring more than 300 square kilometers.
From Seattle Times • May 15, 2024
Sara begs, “Mama, please. We talked about this! Can’t we have normal American sides? Stuffing. Cranberry sauce.”
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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.
