noun
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a person who works in or takes care of a garden as an occupation or pastime
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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.
I suspect the Pope sees his role as an advocate who promotes transcendent values rather than as a gardener who tries to reserve a plot for weeds.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 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
Jill is a keen gardener but she said she had stopped digging up the land over fears around contamination.
From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026
When I'd asked about the gardener, no one had seen him.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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.
