garden
noun
a plot of ground, usually near a house, where flowers, shrubs, vegetables, fruits, or herbs are cultivated.
garden
1 American
[gahr-dn]
/ ˈgɑr dn /
noun
-
gardens
plural
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a plot of ground, usually near a house, where flowers, shrubs, vegetables, fruits, or herbs are cultivated.
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a piece of ground or other space, commonly with ornamental plants, trees, etc., used as a park or other public recreation area.
a public garden.
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a fertile and delightful spot or region.
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British. yard.
adjective
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pertaining to, produced in, or suitable for cultivation or use in a garden.
fresh garden vegetables; garden furniture.
verb (used without object)
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gardens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
gardened,
past participle, past
-
gardening
present participle
verb (used with object)
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gardens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
gardened,
past participle, past
-
gardening
present participle
idioms
Garden
2
American
[gahr-dn]
/ ˈgɑr dn /
noun
-
Alexander, 1730?–91, U.S. naturalist, born in Scotland.
-
Mary, 1877–1967, U.S. soprano.
garden
British
/ ˈɡɑːdən /
noun
-
-
US and Canadian word: yard. an area of land, usually planted with grass, trees, flowerbeds, etc, adjoining a house
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( as modifier )
a garden chair
-
-
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an area of land used for the cultivation of ornamental plants, herbs, fruit, vegetables, trees, etc
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( as modifier )
garden tools
-
-
(often plural) such an area of land that is open to the public, sometimes part of a park
botanical gardens
-
-
a fertile and beautiful region
-
( as modifier )
a garden paradise
-
-
(modifier) provided with or surrounded by a garden or gardens
a garden flat
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informal to mislead or deceive a person
adjective
verb
garden
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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garden-likeadjective
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gardenableadjective
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gardenlessadjective
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gardenlikeadjective
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ungardenedadjective
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well-gardenedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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gardensimple
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gardenssimple
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have gardenedperfect
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has gardenedperfect
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am gardeningprogressive
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are gardeningprogressive
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is gardeningprogressive
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have been gardeningperfect progressive
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has been gardeningperfect progressive
Past
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gardenedsimple
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had gardenedperfect
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was gardeningprogressive
-
were gardeningprogressive
-
had been gardeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of garden
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English gardin, from Old North French gardin, Old French jardin, from Germanic; compare Old High German gartin-, German Garten; see also yard 2
Explanation
A garden is a piece of land that's used to grow flowers, vegetables, or other plants. Your grandmother might be so proud of her rose garden that she gives every visitor a tour of it. A vegetable garden is often planted in straight rows, sometimes within a raised bed. Flower gardens can take all sorts of shapes, from tidy to meandering. When you work in your garden, pulling weeds or planting seedlings, you garden. In the UK, a garden is what's called a yard in the US — any bit of land just outside of a house. The phrase "garden variety" means "ordinary:" "Oh he's just a garden variety mixed-breed dog, nothing fancy."
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:
By the end of the book, she has a full-time reporting job at the Dallas Morning News; a garden she exults in cultivating; and a charming, fluffy gray cat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Freeman said the first year of ownership would be spent learning more about the garden and how it "integrates with the site and people connect with it".
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
"There will be some small changes but we intend to maintain the spirit of the wildlife garden, that is something we are very committed to," added Freeman.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
In town, Grant Trask, a retired fisherman in a hooded sweatshirt, was scrubbing potatoes he dug up from the garden of the bed-and-breakfast he runs with his wife.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
She flinched, as if she’d just slapped herself with those words, then bounded off, heaving herself ungracefully over the garden fence.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
After being spotted by a Piper Sandler managing director while sitting second-row at the Garden earlier this year, Murstein received a text message from the banking executive pitching a preferred-stock product.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
A former Garden Grove police sergeant was arrested by the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
Demand for tickets was so great that during the following season, promoters began staging double-headers at Madison Square Garden.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
News of the Qualley-Antonoff split arose days after the latter was spotted attending Swift and Travis Kelce’s lavish wedding bash at New York City’s Madison Square Garden without his wife.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
“The Garden need you, for real,” he says.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
Marrakech is known for winding souks, walled gardens, rooftop terraces and workshops where artisans practice crafts their families have perfected over centuries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
“The gated, private parcel offers dramatic panoramic city views and sweeping vistas, with multiple usable tiers featuring generous flat pads, terraced gardens, and a dedicated pool level,” the description noted.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
It’s elegant and has that beautiful Marrakech feeling at night: the gardens, the music, the people-watching.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Museum officials, firm leaders and local stakeholders have continually communicated that the gardens would feature “indigenous” or “native” plants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Tile corridors with arches that looked onto a large courtyard with beautiful gardens connected the buildings in the oldest part of campus.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
"I had to halt everything. I bought a house in Nashville, I gardened, I saw a therapist and I gave myself a chance to miss music."
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Both gardened, and she thinks the accident contributed to their illnesses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
“My father built a cabin and gardened; we raised chickens and sheep. My mother was a schoolteacher who sewed all my clothes and dolls.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
As a lifelong gardener who has spent a career in retail horticulture and garden writing, I found myself initially chafing at the author’s call to say goodbye to the way we’ve gardened for generations.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 8, 2023
Lena gardened in the back beneath a large sun hat.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
GOLDIN: When we started to talk seriously about adults, we could see that some people were into gardening and flowers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
"It's a bit odd they were here in the middle of the night," one local told AFP as she did some gardening in the nearby village of Kempsford.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
He said the gardening team was already adapting what crops were grown, where they were planted and cultivation methods to improve resilience in future seasons.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
They said Walmart could venture into shorter video content involving things like home renovations and gardening, made in collaboration with suppliers.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
"You turned the greatest weapon of all creation into a gardening tool?"
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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