cut flower

American

noun

any pretty flower cut for a floral arrangement.

Etymology

Origin of cut flower

First recorded in 1900–05

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.

Euphorbia pulcherrima, adapted well to the southern states, and by the early 1900s, Albert Ecke, a German immigrant dairy farmer and orchardist in Eagle Rock, saw its potential as a cut flower for Christmas bouquets.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 20, 2025

Kenya supplies more than 40% of the flower market in Europe, with the vast majority of blooms destined for the Netherlands, the hub for the European cut flower industry.

From BBC • Sep. 25, 2024

Estrada thinks bearded iris are underrated, both in the garden and as a cut flower.

From Seattle Times • May 11, 2024

Currently, she is enjoying watching her peonies unfurl and working on a cut flower farm in her backyard in District Heights.

From Washington Post • Apr. 28, 2022

For it will flourish where the more tender race would die; and its magnificent size, colour, strong growth, and rich foliage, must always render it indispensable for decoration and as a cut flower.

From Roses and Rose Growing by Kingsley, Rose Georgina

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023