grape

American  

[grayp] / greɪp /

noun

• grapes
  plural

1. the edible, pulpy, smooth-skinned berry or fruit that grows in clusters on vines of the genus Vitis, and from which wine is made.

2. any vine bearing this fruit.

3. a dull, dark, purplish-red color.

4. (used with a singular verb) grapes,

   1. tuberculosis occurring in cattle, characterized by the internal formation of grapelike clusters, especially in the lungs.

   2. tuberculosis occurring in horses, characterized by grapelike clusters on the fetlocks.

5. grapeshot.

6. the grape, wine.

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grape British  

/ ɡreɪp /

noun

1. the fruit of the grapevine, which has a purple or green skin and sweet flesh: eaten raw, dried to make raisins, currants, or sultanas, or used for making wine

2. any of various plants that bear grapelike fruit, such as the Oregon grape

3. See grapevine

4. an informal term for wine

5. See grapeshot

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grape Idioms  

1. see sour grapes.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• grapeless
  adjective
• grapelike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• grapes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of grape

1200–50; Middle English < Old French, variant of crape cluster of fruit or flowers, originally hook (for pruning vines) < Germanic; compare German Krapf hook and grapple ( def. ), grapnel

Explanation

A grape is a small, sweet fruit that grows in clusters on a vine. Most grapes are either purple or green, and they make a delicious addition to a fruit salad. Though grapes naturally contain tiny seeds, many varieties of so-called "table grapes" are bred to be seedless, so you can pop one grape after another in your mouth. Dried grapes are known as raisins, and this versatile berry is used to make many other products, including jelly, juice, and wine. Experts believe the word grape comes from an Old French verb, graper, "catch with a hook" or "pick grapes off the vine."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

grape grapes

Crates stacked at a grape farm in Fresno County.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

Now I’ve lived long enough to have watched it go from an obscure grape pushed by cool-kid sommeliers to something that’s found on most shop shelves and wine lists in the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

"To see nanoscale structures with standard electron microscopy, we fix and dehydrate the tissues, but freezing them retains their shape -- similar to freezing a grape rather than dehydrating it into a raisin," Watanabe said.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

Climate change has had some advantages for Germany's winegrowers over the years, allowing them to experiment with grape varieties better suited to warmer climes and making cultivation possible in new areas.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

But we don’t know what kind of juice she likes, and you don’t want to bring grape when she loves apple.

From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds

The winery facility has the capacity to crush 50,000 tons of grapes each year and bottle up to 3 million cases of wine.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

Chizay produces 1.3 million bottles a year, mostly from its white Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat and Riesling grapes.

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

Agricultural produce commonly exported includes mangoes, avocados, herbs and grapes.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

Pterostilbene is a naturally occurring polyphenol found in blueberries, grapes, and other berries.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 5, 2026

The famous trellises of the city hung heavy with grapes.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri