noun
-
a person who works in or takes care of a garden as an occupation or pastime
-
any bowerbird of the genus Amblyornis
Other Word Forms
- undergardener noun
Etymology
Origin of gardener
1250–1300; Middle English < Old North French gardinier ( Old French jardinier ). See garden, -er 2
Explanation
A person whose hobby or job is growing flowers in a garden is called a gardener. If you want homegrown flowers and veggies, get to know a gardener. If you grow vegetables professionally, you're called a farmer, but if you design, tend, or care for a flower garden, you're a gardener. Planting anything on a small scale, in your own backyard, also makes you a gardener. The word gardener was a common last name starting in the 13th century, from the Old French jardineor, and the Old North French gardin, "kitchen garden or orchard."
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.
In “Chasing Lewis’s Monkeyflower,” Elizabeth Adelman, a gardener and heritage-plant expert, mounts a search for Lewis’s lost plants.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
"It's a drop in the bucket compared to what this country needs. It means next to nothing," said Raul Pomares, a 56-year-old gardener waiting for a taxi in the capital.
From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026
He doesn’t have a gardener and rarely waters the plants.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
My stepfather could build and install anything we needed, and my mom was a terrific gardener.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026
Down below, a gardener was coming across the lawn with a wheelbarrow.
From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl
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.
